Posted on 05/25/2015 9:57:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A man convicted in a fatal robbery of a ice cream truck driver in Coconut Grove, Florida, more than 40 years ago when he was just a teen is a free man.
Prince Johnson has been in prison since he was 16, following his 1971 trial for first-degree murder in the death of Marta Roman.
VIDEONaked Man Rescued From Fort Lauderdale Bridge At a hearing Friday, a Miami-Dade judge furloughed the sentence. Johnson thanked his family after he was set free.
"My family, for all the moral support they gave me, standing by me," he said.
Sketch Released in Brutal Attack of Disabled Woman Prosecutors accused Johnson and another teenager of shooting Roman during a robbery of her ice cream truck in July 1970. Two 6-year-old girls told investigators they heard the shots and saw the teens running away from the ice-cream truck.
At first, prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for Johnson, but a judge sentence him to life in prison instead.
"The State knew that there was another person involved, they couldn't connect it. Prince was never alleged to be the shooter in this case, he was a kid who possibly got swept into this incident," public defender Gail Lewis said.
"I'm so happy and I want everybody to know there is a God up above," family member Olive Johnson-Coley said. "He missed his whole life, he was only 16."
Officer Sleeping in Squad Car Suspended Without Pay "He wouldn't take anything from people, he was different but today is my day, I can't wait to kiss him," aunt Kathleen Basten said.
Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all juvenile offenders sentenced to death or to life in prison must be re-sentenced. The court deemed it a cruel and unusual punishment otherwise, and now the courts are seeing more cases like Johnson's.
I didn’t know the Supreme Court made that decision three years ago. I guess life with the possibility of parole after 20 years might be reasonable. But it might not sound reasonable to the family of the dead person,
If he is going to go free, couldn’t they make him give up the name of the killers?
Nice editing
great point. That should have been the trade off. There is no statute of limitations on murder
I find it hard for people to feel there will be true justice in the sentences if this occurs.
It is completely stupid for anything to be based on age once the person is in their teenage years. They’ve been around long enough. To be able to get a break for murder because they’re under a certain age is ridiculous. And I say “murder” as them having intent to kill someone, either as THE ACT of lawbreaking, or unintentionally like trying to get away from some other crime, and they murder someone trying to stop them.
I did some pretty stupid things in my late teens and early twenties. But never anything violent.taking a life is a pretty big thing at any age and I can see your point of view.
I think everyone does stupid stuff. Part of doing stupid stuff is learning that you did stupid stuff, and later on being grateful that it was only small stupid stuff (for almost all of us).
But I think when it comes to murdering someone age really means zip to me. You’ve ended someone else’s life and it doesn’t matter if they are old, or young. It doesn’t matter if the murderer is old, or young. If it’s murder the intent to kill is present. That’s all that matters. Murder isn’t self defense.
I don’t see how a murderer - if they are deemed to have committed murder - can get less of a sentence because they’re under a certain age. It makes the person who they kill less important under the law.
Oh too bad, if your murderer was older we could lock her away forever, but since she’s 16 she cna get out. Your life isn’t worth locking her away forever for, but if she was two years older, your life would be.
What the hell kind of justice is that? It isn’t, and that’s why people havea problem with this.
I mean justice in sentencing is a major component for people to be able to actually forgive someone and move on in their lives, because they know a just sentence was administered and is being administered. When you know you’re going to get justice, it makes it possible to forgive, and it makes it possible for those affected to be able to move forward from the evil that occurred to them.
boy you make a strong argument. I have a love one that died of a heart attack a week after a person pulled a knife on them to scare them regarding some nonsense. I never knew who the person was but God only knows what I would have done if I got my hands on them. And that wasn’t even direct murder. So yes I would want someone to go to jail for life if they actually shot or stabbed my loved one to death. that or I would want 10 minutes alone with them with the weapon of my choice
You know what the real sad thing is?
To people like you and me who really value life, it’s a strong argument.
To more and more people at large, they don’t consider that a strong argument. More and more they want to give young murderers a break, and by doing so, devalue life.
They actually devalue their own life, and they don’t even realize it. What if a younger murderer kills them?
Instead they state that the people they want to kill are those who won’t cater a gay pizza wedding.
their hatred is so I misplaced that I’ve read on the blogs where they are hoping Isis kills Christians. I said on another post that I wonder if in five years my nephews and nieces will turn me into the police for being against gay marriage. Liberals don’t care about blacks being killed left and right. But you’re right they want to burn down a Christian pizzeria for not wanting to serve a gay Pizza wedding. I ordered a pizza from them to be sent to the local fire department lol. They are doing great business
[”. . .he was a kid who possibly got swept into this incident,” public defender Gail Lewis said.]
“Swept?” By the big broom of racial injustice?
1971 story (bottom of page).
Turned free?
This scum should be showing us a rope-dance.
Indeed...I was looking for the NAKED man on the Ft. Lauderdale bridge.
When I lived in CO a 13 year old boy stabbed a neighbor 13 year old girl to death in her kitchen, then ran her 6 year old sister down in the field outback and killed her too. Mom came home 20 minutes later.
At the time, under CO law, he could not be tried as an adult, so had to be released and his record expunged when he turned 18.
Some very unhappy people in this very small town, and there was lots of discussion about how he would likely disappear if he ever came back. Some millions of empty acres north of town for him to disappear in.
I’m familiar with the case because I was hired by the insurance company to clean it up so the family wouldn’t have to. Only time in my life an insurance company instructed me to send them an invoice with just a number, no itemizing.
This says another defendant was convicted
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article21694452.html
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