[BigTex5]

I never understood why they sentence for years greater than life. Why bother or does it send some sort of signal? Why 175 years? Why not 500 years? See the difference? There is none.. If he's lucky, he'll be dead in 20-30 years anyway thats if an inmate doesn't do him in on the first day.

[T.Smith]

I think the point is to deny the prisoner an opportunity at parole. If you get a life sentence you are up for parole in 30 years. If you get two life sentences you don't get parole for 40 years, etc.

[Lurking Libertarian]

I never understood why they sentence for years greater than life. Why bother or does it send some sort of signal? Why 175 years? Why not 500 years? See the difference? There is none.. If he's lucky, he'll be dead in 20-30 years anyway thats if an inmate doesn't do him in on the first day.

The only legal purpose of sentences like that is that if some appellate court later reverses some (but not all) of the charges, he will still be facing enough time to keep him locked up for life.

[dmz]

He gets a certain number of years without the possibility of parole for each count he was convicted on. It's a math thing.

[ExSoldier]

In some states a LIFE term means they're eligible for parole in seven years. In others it's 25 years. But in most states, if you get a term of sentence that is given in a numerical value, you have to serve two thirds of the sentence before you can get parole. Also, I suspect it has to do with giving the victims families a measure of individual justice for their own loved one and thus closure. In any case, I'm sure he'll make somebody a fine little wife on the inside!

[bill1952]

Its a parole issue. If there is a possibility of parole (I don't know Kansas) then he could be paroled for one life sentence, but still remain incarcerated for the other 9.

Notice that they did not say "concurrent," they said "consecutive."

[fortunecookie]

I agree. I think those century long sentences were meant to signal, to those in charge in years to come, no possibility of parole. He's one clear case for the death penalty. And he's a danger to those around him, inmate and guard. Inmates will want to do him in, but he won't go down easily, he's already playing mind games with the court per the article. He's a very dangerous sociopath bent on evil and he thinks he's got the upper hand, regardless of those around him.

[DManA]

Multiple life sentences mock the victims who had their one and only life stolen.