Jones Sentence Tossed By Supreme Court

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Supreme Court has thrown out the life without parole sentence given Brett Jones, who was convicted in the slaying of his grandfather during an argument in 2004.

The court, in a 6-3 ruling Thursday, ordered a new sentencing hearing for Jones in Lee County Circuit Court.

Court records show Jones was 15 when he stabbed his grandfather, 68-year-old Bertis Jones.

Brett Jones testified that his grandfather came at him in the kitchen and cornered him. He claimed he stabbed his grandfather in self-defense.

The Mississippi court based its ruling on a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year in an Alabama case. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled mandatory life terms for those under the age of 18 when the killings occurred amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

 

 

Categories: Crime, Local News

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