A teenager sentenced to 250 years in prison for a deadly, month-long crime spree in 2010, has had his sentences thrown out, according to Channel 2 Action News.
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday ordered a new sentence for Robert Veal, saying it was unconstitutional to give a life-without-parole sentence to a juvenile.
Further, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection from cruel and unusual punishment to sentence juveniles to life without parole except for “the rare juvenile offender who exhibits such irretrievable depravity that rehabilitation is impossible.”
The U.S. Supreme Court said that life without parole sentences may be imposed only on the worst of the worst juvenile murderers," Justice David Nahmias wrote for the unanimous Georgia high court.
Veal was 17 1/2 when a Fulton County judge initially sentenced him to life without parole —the equivalent of at least 30 years—plus six additional life terms, plus 40 years.
He was a minor when he and other gang members Tamario Wise and Fernandez Whatley set out on a crime spree across the metro Atlanta area violently robbing people, carjacking, murdering and raping a woman.
Charles Boyer was fatally shot outside a Virginia Highlands apartment the night of Nov. 22, and a Grant Park woman was raped during a home invasion the early morning of Nov. 23.
“These guys should never, ever breathe a breath of fresh air again,” Fulton County Assistant District Attorney Lance Cross said during the trial of so-called Jack Boys. “These guys were very dangerous. This was one of the most prolific street gang crimes in the history of the city.”
Veal and Wise were found guilty in a 90-count indictment that included murder, rape, sodomy, aggravated assault and false imprisonment charges.
Whatley was convicted of armed robbery, hijacking a vehicle, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and cruelty to children, and was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison and 40 years of probation.
Wise, considered the ring-leader, is serving a combined total of 740 years in prison—life without parole plus an additional 14 life sentences and 290 years.
