On Saturday, October 18, 2005, Pamela Vitale has plans to go to an afternoon ballet with a friend. She never made it. Armed with a knife, sixteen-year old Scott Dyleski breaks into Vitale’s home and viciously attacks her. Pam puts up valiant fight, but she was unable to escape Dyleski’s brutal beatings and savage knife blows. Pam’s husband comes home to find blood smeared across the front door and windows. He enters his home, only to find blood all over the inside of his home, and his dead wife. …
On May 10, 2007 sixteen-year old Blair Holt and his friends were riding the bus home from school in Chicago. This was Blair’s last ride. A Chicago juvenile gang member looking for another gang member pushes his way onto the bus and fires wildly at the other gang member who is sitting just behind Blair. The shots hit five people, including one which killed Blair. The juvenile was convicted and sentenced to life. Blair’s father, Chicago Police Officer Ron Holt, tells Blair’s story and explains why juvenile life …
On May 12, 1990, 28-year old Jimmy Cotaling of Michigan drove his car to a store to buy his mother a Mother’s Day card. When he failed to return home, his family filed a missing person’s report. His car was found in Ohio. The police investigated the two occupants of the car, one of whom had suffered a stab wound to the stomach. Three days into the investigation, one of the suspects confessed that she and the co-defendant lured Jimmy into a house and killed him. Further investigation revealed that …
On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences. Defendant: Chawa See (16) Victim: Robert Trevino Crimes: Murder with special allegations and other crimes Crime date: October 1, 2006 in Visalia, California Summary Chawa See shot a 15-year-old boy in the head with a .380 caliber semiautomatic …
On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences. Defendant: Adam Sarabia (16) Victims: John Ramirez and Joann Wotkyn Crimes: Two counts of first degree murder, residential burglary and auto theft Crime date: October 21, 2004 in Santa Paula, California Summary Adam Sarabia broke into a home …
Many opponents of life without parole for juvenile offenders claim that the continued use of this sentence puts the United States in breach of its obligations under international law. Specifically, they name three treaties as barring the administration of this sentence in the United States: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture. All of these assertions are false. Increasingly, political activists have been using the aspirational language that is often present in international agreements to advance …
On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences. Defendant: Rudolfo Sandoval (17) Victim: Ryan Briner Crime: First degree murder Crime date: May 5, 2004 in Ventura, California Summary Rudolfo Sandoval shot and killed a random victim with a shotgun. Facts Rudolfo Sandoval was a member of …
On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences. Defendant: Samuel Puebla (17) Victim: Valerie Zavala Crimes: First degree murder, attempted rape and felony murder Crime date: January 1, 2003 in Fillmore, California Summary Samuel Puebla attempted to rape a college student whom he met at a …
In 2005, the Supreme Court held in Roper v. Simmons that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution bar the application of the death penalty to offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed. Since then, the decision’s reasoning has become the cornerstone of the efforts of those who oppose life without parole for juvenile offenders and has reinvigorated their legal crusade to put an end to the practice. The text and history of the Eighth Amendment, however, provide little support for the …
On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences. Defendant: Jesus Mandujano (17) Victims: J. Sacramento Benitez-Hernandez and an Unknown female Crimes: Felony murder, Assault with intent to commit rape and other crimes Crime date: January 3, 1992, and April 2, 1992 in San Jose, California Summary …
