West Virginia lawmakers just passed HB 4210 that says a juvenile less than 18 years of age who is convicted as an adult "shall be eligible for parole after he or she has served 15 years." Anyone who murders another person or persons in cold blood with pre-meditation should not be eligible for parole after 15 years just because they committed the crimes as a juvenile!
Why is this important?
My brother, my sister-in-law and my nine year old niece were brutally murdered by their 16 year old son/brother. He used my brother's legally purchased, licensed pistol to commit all three heinous acts. He then called in his crime and waited for the police to arrive and arrest him. As a family, we agreed to a plea after nearly two years of waiting in order to avoid a media circus, to facilitate closure and to promote healing. This meant my nephew pled guilty to three first degree murders and was sentenced to three life sentences, two to run concurrently with the third to run consecutively. He would have been eligible for parole in 30 years, not 15, as this new law mandates.
