Maryland appeals court reviewing teen DC sniper Lee Boyd Malvo’s sentences
Northam defends juvenile sentencing law in light of DC sniper case
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is defending his signature on a bill rewriting sentencing rules for juveniles on Tuesday - and the result has convicted D.C. sniper killer Lee Boyd Malvo agreeing to withdraw his Supreme Court case that claimed his sentence was unfair because he was not eligible for parole.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The highest court in Maryland is reviewing the case of the teenager convicted for his role in the D.C. sniper killing spree.
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Lee Boyd Malvo was 17 when he joined John Allen Muhammad in a rampage throughout the District, Maryland and Virginia that left 10 people dead and three wounded in 2002.
The Court of Appeals has granted a "bypass" review of Malvo’s case, along with two other convicts serving life sentences for crimes committed as juveniles.
Malvo was sentenced to six life sentences without parole for the Maryland killings.
His lawyers argue that his punishment goes against a 2012 Supreme Court ruling barring mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders.
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They believe Malvo should benefit from Maryland's new law enabling prisoners convicted as juveniles to seek release once they've served at least 20 years.
Along with their victims in the DMV, Malvo and Muhammad were responsible for other deaths as they traveled to the region from Washington state.
Muhammad was executed in 2009.
Malvo has claimed that the six life-without-parole terms he received in Maryland are illegal in light of U.S. Supreme Court decisions saying mandatory life-without-parole sentences are unconstitutional for juveniles except in rare cases.
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In April, Maryland banned life sentences for juveniles as part of a sweeping criminal law reform effort.
The state General Assembly overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the measure.
Virginia passed similar legislation last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report