YORK, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania appeals court has ordered a new sentencing hearing for a defendant who was 15 at the time of the 2010 murder of a law student.
The Superior Court on Wednesday sent the case of now-19-year-old Jordan Wallick back to York County Court for resentencing.
Wallick was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 15 to 30 years in the murder of 28-year-old James Wallmuth III, a law student and former intern in the district attorney’s office who was shot outside a bar during a botched July 2010 robbery.
The court cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life prison terms for juveniles were unconstitutional.
Defense attorney Dawn Cutaia said she will argue that Wallick doesn’t deserve a life term. Prosecutors declined comment.
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