TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - A young man convicted of killing a Traverse City teenager has been sentenced again to at least 40 years in prison.
Judge Philip Rodgers said Friday that the “depravity” of Robert “Jensen” Schwander’s actions justified an unusually long sentence for second-degree murder. Police say he fatally stabbed 16-year-old Carly Lewis in 2011 and buried her in a sand pile.
The Michigan appeals court had ordered a new hearing, ruling that another judge didn’t fully explain why he exceeded 13 years in prison, the typical sentencing guideline.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle (https://bit.ly/1fjeQaQ) says Rodgers vividly described how Carly would have struggled to breathe during the time it took her to die. Schwander says Carly’s death was an accident.
The parole board will determine when the 20-year-old Schwander is released.
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