Pa State Hearings on Supreme Court Ruling

I'm leaving in a few minutes for Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania State Capitol. I'll be testifying before the State Senate Judiciary Committee. I'm setting this to post at lunchtime, which is when I'm scheduled to talk. Thanks to everyone for their support these past few weeks and moving forward, it is greatly appreciated.

                                                                                      July 12, 2012

Testimony of Bobbi J:

Family member of a murder victim of a juvenile killer serving life in prison, opposed to any changes to past sentences in Pennsylvania, proponent for reform of mandatory sentences in the future, with JLWOP maintained as a sentencing option.

Introduction

I’d like to start by thanking the committee for quickly acting upon the Supreme Court ruling and scheduling these hearings. Also, I am grateful that I am able to speak, on behalf of my family, and for those families who find this too painful to endure.

I’m here today as a victim, just a victim. I remember how odd that moniker felt the first time I was referenced that way. I thought my sister was the victim, that her baby was the victim; they were the ones who were murdered. However, I am a victim of the crime committed by my sister’s killer, and time has shown me why that title applies.

I serve on an advocacy board for a National organization of people who are just victims. We have prayed for the past five or six years that this day would never come. I’m just a victim, who has testified before this committee twice, prior to today. I’m just a victim who had all sense of closure and finality in my sister’s brutal murder stripped away by five individuals in Washington, DC, in spite of my best efforts to make them see what that decision would mean. I’m just a victim who stood outside of the Supreme Court during the oral arguments, because law students and people who support the murderers took up all the seats inside. I’m just a victim, whose whole life is in complete upheaval because of all of these things.

On Tuesday of this week, while I was on a call for my job, I got a voice mail from a reporter in Pittsburgh, where I live. The message was to convey that my sister’s killer had filed for an appeal, and would I like to comment. I’m just a victim, who found out on her voicemail that the person who brutally murdered her sister and unborn child, was seeking to be freed.

As I see it, there are three topics of concern, which should be addressed in these hearings. The first is whether these existing sentences are eligible for review, the second is if they are, how can is that best accomplished, and finally how should the law be revised to accommodate the ruling.

Questioning Retroactive Action

I’m not a law scholar, I know enough to get by, and us victims have to learn some of these lessons the hard way. However, in regard to the retroactive application of the Supreme Court ruling, I question why that is the appropriate course of action. The sentences in these cases, cases like my sisters murder, were prosecuted and sentenced under laws that were acceptable at the time.

In 1997, the ‘Crimes Against the Unborn Child Act’ was passed by the Pennsylvania legislature. As I understand it, this means that my sister’s murderer committed 2 murders, not one. However, there is no do over for his sentence or another trial as a result of the new law. The law when he murdered his baby was that the baby didn’t “count”, and so that is what we had to live with. I would present the possibility that this is comparable to now asking for a do over for his sentence. In both cases, the law changed, and it should apply to all cases going forward, not retroactively. 

What if it is retroactive?

If it turns out that the law is retroactive, which I fully anticipate based on how victims rights have been completely ignored on this topic to date, then I beg this committee to find a way to incorporate the victims. The notification on my voicemail regarding the appeal just further fuels my fear that victims all over this state will be completely blindsided or completely unaware of what is happening here. I believe you can make a difference and elevate the perception that we are just the victims, and help our voices be heard. The lack of consideration for the victims of these crimes in the media, the government, and by those Justices in many ways makes us feel like our dead loved ones mean nothing.

How best to make this a reality? That will be a complex endeavor that will require effort and resources that probably do not exist today. There is no mechanism in place to manage this situation. The victims in these cases have moved on, expecting the closure the justice system promised them to stand. For every one of me, who is notified by some reporter, there are probably several more families who have no idea that these killers could go free. In many cases, they probably are not signed up for updates, since we thought LWOP meant just that. Some things to consider include:

1.)         Notification – a notification system needs to be developed. These murder victims have families; those families often participated in the court proceedings or gave impact statements. EVERY single one of these families must be made aware of this ruling and the consequences. I’m sure victims, such as me, would be willing to help determine how to do this.

2.)         Participation – the victims of these crimes MUST be included in any development of a process to hear these cases and evaluate them for an opportunity to be re-sentenced. The glut of appeals filed via the appeal office should be held, immediately, with no action until a statewide process for hearing and judging these appeals is enacted. Anything short of that would be a travesty of justice for both the general public and the victims themselves.

3.)         Respect – It is imperative that victims’ rights be recognized in this process. The concept of victim impact statements and notifications must be part of the appeal process. Furthermore, the process of re-evaluation must be a one-time proceeding, without subjecting the victims to further traumatization for years to come.

I urge this committee and the State Supreme Court, to put the brakes on any appeal proceeding until the above conditions can be explored. To act without the above, would be cruel and unusual punishment for the victims, an irony not lost on me at this point.

Future Laws

The question remains, what to do with the JLWOP in the future. It is critical that you maintain the ability to assign JLWOP in cases that warrant that sentence. Again, I’m no law expert, but for the most part, I think the law works as designed today. The mandated sentences, for first and second-degree murder for juvenile offenders, should be replaced by a hearing to determine if that sentence is appropriate based on the crimes. This will ensure that JLWOP sentences are still available for murderers who kill in cold blood that deserve that sentence. This hearing could be a secondary step in the process of moving the case to Adult court, or a separate hearing closer to trial. In either scenario, a simple examination of the case will help frame the appropriateness of the sentence. For example, if you stab and beat your girlfriend to death, with a knife you brought from home and leave her and your unborn child to bleed to death in a schoolyard.

Conclusion

I thank you again for your swift action on this topic. I urge you to be the voice of reason in a world where we are just the victims. With careful consideration of the issue, and how every action impacts people who have suffered more than you can ever comprehend, you can be the light in our very bleak perception of our place in the Justice system.

Starting over....

This is the first day of waking up after the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a Juvenile Life without Parole sentence is 'Cruel & Unusual' punishment if there are not other options at the time of sentencing. There is a certain irony in a ruling regarding cruel and unusual punishment that rips apart so many families who have already been through so much tragedy.

 I can't quite put the feeling into words. I think melancholy may be part of it, just plain sad covers it, I'm not particularly angry(although I've talked to some victims who are just that), there may still be an element of shock as well.

 Imagine if you will, that you were in a horrific car crash, that took the life of a loved one & scarred you for life. As the years go by, the memory of the crash is always there, but the trauma of the event is always like this low level buzz in the background. The person you lost in that crash, always in your memory, wishing things could be different. You move on, the best that you can, with what you can hold onto, struggling to let go of the bad ending and remember the good things.

 NOW, imagine that some 5, 10, 20 + years after that crash, an entity completely outside of your control, decided that the finality of that moment when you put it all behind you, wasn't really final. You will now be re-living that event, maybe once, maybe often, no one can tell you how often you have to be re-traumatized. But, your suffering is for the good of the nation, because it is what is 'fair'.

 With respect to my state, they have no mechanism or process to even manage this process, by which these murderers will get the second chance our loved ones never had. I now have to shift my focus on how that process is designed and struggle to have victim's voices included in the process. We all know the victim's voice is the minority. The bulk of the media coverage yesterday failed to mention the dead, as is so often the case.

 I don't think I can ever make anyone who hasn't walked in my shoes, understand just how devastating this all has been. I fought the good fight, did all I could, for my family, for my sister, and for the 100's of other victims I have met in similar circumstances. We lost, through no fault of our own. There was more money, more momentum, and more liberal press throwing support at those 'poor kids', who also happen to be murderers, some not fit to live in society. Check out the media coverage, they are treating Mr. Stevenson like a rock star, while we struggled and scraped our money together to get a press release. We're just not good for television, our stories are too sad, too real, too close to home. It's more palatable for the audience to hear how the 'kids' get a second chance.

 Maybe tomorrow will be easier, maybe someday I can really close the book on the justice system, like I thought we did 18+ years ago. Maybe not. I've been trying to get my head around the thought of my sister's murderer going free for a few years now. I still struggle with it. I guess while I try to get victim's heard in this parole/hearing process, I should also get right with the reality that he could go free... something I never had to really think about since he was charged.

 To the Justices who were in dissent, I do Thank You. It seems like you actually gave some consideration to the impact of this decision on us victims. To the Justices who have caused so many, so much pain, well, you have to live with it, I've got nothing for you. Keep us victim's in your thoughts when you see Mr. Stevenson on the talk show circuit doing victory laps. Think about the dead, and those of us left behind, while he smiles and celebrates his victory. They're the ones who should really matter, but we already know they no longer have voices.

Supreme Court Arguments Juvenile Life without Parole

Greetings from Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments tomorrow, March 20th, on Juvenile Life without Parole for 14 year olds. I've kind of neglected this blog for awhile, that is mostly because it's fairly painful to stay in the place where my head needs to be to fight this constantly. I have to take breaks. That never means I'm not following the filings and new laws, it just means I do it more privately.

The two cases before the Supreme Court are for 14 year old killers, one who participated in a robbery where the victim was shot in the head with a shotgun, and one who beat a man with a baseball bat, and then set his home on fire with him inside. They were both sentenced to a Life Sentence without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments about these two cases.

The thing is, there is rarely mention of the victims in these cases. The victims in these cases are Cole Cannon and Laurie Troup. You'd be amazed how many articles you can read about the hearings tomorrow and NOT see these individuals names listed. It's incredibly disturbing.

A few things about this issue, that I think I've said before, but it bears repeating:

- The sentence of LWOP is not just randomly assigned to children. Each case is judged by merit and State laws.

- This brain science that I keep reading about, doesn't wash. If teenagers were all so impulsive, there would be a much higher instance of random murder among the teenage population.

- These killers had tragic and difficult lives, long before they killed in some cases. That doesn't really excuse them from the fact that they murdered, does it? There is no correlation between how troubled ones youth is/was and the nature of their punishment for murder. Once the murder occurred, they are responsible for that action.

- There are some really, really evil individuals serving these sentences in this country. This notion that they are all these 'poor kids' condemned to die is absurd. One news outlet ran an article that featured a photo of the murderer as a toddler. No photos of the victims to be found.

- Those of us who stood in court and heard these sentences, believed they would be forever. Now, every time this issue is argued in a legislature or a court, we are forced to relive something a person who hasn't experienced this could never even comprehend. That is not to mention the number of families who have no idea this is even happening. Imagine, you've put this behind you, then the nightly news comes on and you hear that your loved ones killer may be getting a new hearing.

I wouldn't wish any of this on anyone. I know these killers families suffer with this as much as we do. Having said that, they can and do have conversations with their loved ones. They get to see them grow up and grow old, albeit in jail. I look at photos or drive to the cemetery to spend time with my sister. She will never grow old, she will never pursue an education, she is no longer on this earth.

In the end, I hope the Supreme Court holds the sentences of these individuals, and all other JLWOP killers as constitutional. If they do find in favor of the petition, lets hope it's only for 14 and younger, which is a very small percentage of these sentences. If they were to make a blanket ruling, than every one of us who thought we were through with the Justice System, will be right back in the thick of it, reliving the worst days of our lives.

These sentences when applied are just and should be upheld without any more trauma to the families left in the wake of these tragedies.

Our group filed a brief with the court, it provides more info on some of these teenage murderers.

http://www.teenkillers.org/wp-content/uploads/10-964610-9647bsacNOVJLAmicusBrief.pdf

The fight continues...

It's been awhile since I have updated this blog. That is not to say that the fight hasn't been ongoing.
This has been an important year for the victim's of these crimes, and it is probably only going to grow in media attention and the need to fight back.
The Supreme Court ruling excluded murderers in this round. We fully expect the lobby that supports releasing these murderers, to go back to the Supreme Court in the near future with a murder case. We will need to be prepared to fight back for the justice we were promised.
In Pennsylvania and California, members of the National Organization of Victim's of Juvenile Lifer's, along with others, testified against Bills in both states that would abolish LWOP sentences for those under 18 and also, allow the courts to re-traumatize the victim's of past crimes by offering parole hearings and potential freedom to the perpetrators. This is a cruel concept that would torture the victim's of these crimes more than they have already suffered. I'll post my testimony for the Pa. State Legislature here as well.
As the fight continues, I'm seeking more families who have been victim to these crimes. I would like to continue our victim's series by adding more posts that put a human face on the victims themselves. All too often in the debate, the humans no longer on this earth are ignored, which is unfair and unacceptable.

Supreme Court Rules on Juvenile Live Without Parole

Good Morning,
The ruling from the Supreme Court came down this morning on the constitutionality of Juvenile Life Without Parole for non-homicide offenders. The court has ruled that those serving these sentences can not be held for life, it is cruel and unusual punishment. As such, this is now not permissible.

The ramifications of that for those of us whose loved ones were murdered by Juveniles are none. The murderer's of our family members, can and will serve Life Without Parole, and are not included in this decision. All indications are that even criminals such as the 70+ impacted by this ruling will continue to serve long and just sentences.

I'd like to thank the Court for ruling on this in the manner that they did. The very thought of reliving my sister's murder or having to trudge back in to court on a regular basis for parole hearings is absolutely inconceivable to me at this point.

While I feel like the PA legislature will now move forward with their own bills on the subject, at least this chapter of the law is closed on the subject for now. If you listen you will hear me breathe a huge sigh of relief, and then transition to thoughts of how to approach the PA Legislature as a next step....

Take Care...

Spring....

As Spring has arrived, things are coming back from their dormant winter state. INcluded in these spring 'things' unfortunately, is the looming decision by the Supreme Court regarding Juvenile Life WIthout Parole. Here in Pennsylvania, the decision this past week to sentence Jordan Brown as an adult at 12 years old, just fuels the fire. I am not fit to have an opinion about whether that is right or wrong(i am not a psychiatrist), however, a 12 year old is the rare exception to the actual issue at hand.

Unfortunately, the very real truth about this subject is that some people, are not meant to walk among us on this earth. To allow them to do so is to put all of society in jeopardy. There is such a thing as evil, and some of these so called 'poor, innocent, children' who didn't know what they were doing are among them.

Today is Easter, every holiday is a somber day for someone who has lost a family member to violence, knowing you will not be celebrating these times with that person. Grappling with the reality that another human being took them from this world. Even after 17 years, I remember my last Easter with my sister and my Mom, who knew it would be the last...

I leave you today with a news/video clip from Chicago, regarding the upcoming decision and the exact type of 'evil' I am speaking of in this post. Enjoy the holiday, hug your loved ones, and pray for the victims of violence who couldn't be with us today...

Bishop Family Remembers 20 years later

Arizona attempt to free convicted murderers defeated!

Parents of Murdered Childrenwww.POMC.org
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release January 28, 2010
Contact: Nancy Ruhe, Parents of Murdered Children 888-818-POMC
Dan Levey, cell 602-509-8672
Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, NOVJL, 847-446-7073

HB2525 Pulled in Arizona,
Facing Certain Legislative Defeat:A Very Bad Bill for Victims of Violent Crime, Public Safety, and the Rule of Law

(Phoenix) Victims of violent crime, victims’ advocates, legal experts, and those concerned for public safety celebrated today the defeat of HB 2525 in the Arizona Legislature. It was pulled from a committee vote in anticipation of its certain defeat. The National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifers (NOVJL) and Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) issued this joint statement about this very bad legislation:

“HB 2525 would have retroactively granted parole opportunities to offenders, most of whom are extremely violent murderers, sentenced to natural life without the possibility of parole. Anti-incarceration and pro-offender activists in several states lately have been attempting this approach to prison reform – trying to re-sentence offenders sentenced to natural life through legislation. This proposal was not only horribly re-traumatizing for victims of violent crime, and very bad public policy, for the obvious public safety reasons, and would have freed potentially some of the most violent and heinous criminals in the history of the state of Arizona; but would also pose a serious legal question of fairness. With witnesses dead, or gone, memories faded, evidence long lost, records not saved, etc – how could a fair parole hearing process ever have been possible? These offenders were sentenced to natural life. For the most part, they are there because they killed people – violent, horrible deaths. They were duly and appropriately sentenced to natural life, and that is the sentence they should serve. Prison reform activists should focus their efforts on non-violent criminals and better programs for offenders who will someday be released.”

The victims groups were particularly happy to see the prompt defeat of this legislation because it hammers home the most important point of all: offender and prison reform advocates should not be retroactively proposing parole for natural life sentences. Arizona is only the latest state where this has been attempted. Others include Illinois, California, Michigan, and several others. All have utterly failed legislatively. Clearly legislators all over the nation realize not only what a bad idea this for victims, for public safety and for law enforcement, but also how unconstitutional and legally unfair it is.

Victims groups stated that the bill would have violated the following highlighted portions of the Arizona Constitution’s provisions for victims’ rights:

2.1. Victims' bill of rights
Section 2.1. (A) To preserve and protect victims' rights to justice and due process, a victim of crime has a right:
1. To be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, and to be free from intimidation, harassment, or abuse, throughout the criminal justice process.
2. To be informed, upon request, when the accused or convicted person is released from custody or has escaped.
3. To be present at and, upon request, to be informed of all criminal proceedings where the defendant has the right to be present.
4. To be heard at any proceeding involving a post-arrest release decision, a negotiated plea, and sentencing.
5. To refuse an interview, deposition, or other discovery request by the defendant, the defendant's attorney, or other person acting on behalf of the defendant.
6. To confer with the prosecution, after the crime against the victim has been charged, before trial or before any disposition of the case and to be informed of the disposition.
7. To read pre-sentence reports relating to the crime against the victim when they are available to the defendant.
8. To receive prompt restitution from the person or persons convicted of the criminal conduct that caused the victim's loss or injury.
9. To be heard at any proceeding when any post-conviction release from confinement is being considered.
10. To a speedy trial or disposition and prompt and final conclusion of the case after the conviction and sentence.

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The 13 Victim's of the DC Sniper

This is the memorial to the victim's of the DC area sniper. This case highlights a teenager that worked in tandem with an adult accomplice to committ horrific crimes. In the end, the sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo, killed 10 random innocent victims and wounded 3 others, ruining countless lives.


If the court or the legislators consider changing the existing life sentences for juvenile offenders, then Mr. Malvo would be eligible at some point for parole. Is it cruel and unjust to sentence an offender who was not an adult when they committed their crimes? Is it cruel and unjust to put these people's families through the pain of re-living such an unimaginable tragedy over and over again?


The victims are listed below, with our thoughts and prayers.


In Memory of the Murdered and in Tribute to the Wounded (chronological):

James Martin 55 Deceased October 2, 2002 at 6:04 PM Wheaton, Maryland

James Buchanan 39 Deceased October 3, 2002 at 7:41 AM Rockville, Maryland

Premkumar Walekar 54 Deceased October 3, 2002 at 8:12 AM Aspen Hill, MD

Sarah Ramos 34 Deceased October 3, 2002 at 8:37 AM Silver Spring, Maryland

Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera 25 Deceased October 3, 2002 at 9:58 AM Kensington, Maryland

Pascal Charlot 72 Deceased October 3, 2002 at 9:20 PM Washington, D.C.

Caroline Seawell 43 Living October 4, 2002 at 2:30 PM Spotsylvania, Virginia

Iran Brown 13 Living October 7, 2002 at 8:09 AM Bowie, Maryland

Dean Harold Meyers 53 Deceased October 9, 2002 at 8:18 PM Manassas, Virginia

Kenneth Bridges 53 Deceased October 11, 2002 at 9:40 AM Fredericksburg, Virginia

Linda Franklin 47 Deceased October 14, 2002 at 9:19 PM Falls Church, Virginia

Jeffrey Hopper 37 Living October 19, 2002 at 8:00 PM Ashland, Virginia

Conrad Johnson 35 Deceased October 22, 2002 at 5:55 AM Oxon Hill, Maryland

Media Release and Contact Information for Victim's of Juvenile Lifers

The National Organization of Victims of “Juvenile Lifers” – NOVJL
www.jlwopvictims.org

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release October 28, 2009

CONTACT:
Daniel Horowitz 510-326-6957
Jennifer Bishop Jenkins 847-331-2704

VICTIMS OF JUVENILE KILLERS AND
VIOLENT TEENS TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY REGARDING UPCOMING HIGH PROFILE SUPREME COURT CASE


Washington D.C. – On November 9, 2009 the Supreme Court of the United States will be hearing oral arguments on two of the most highly watched cases of this term, Sullivan v Florida and Graham v Florida. Up to now, a well-funded propaganda campaign on behalf of the juvenile killers and violent teens has dominated media coverage of the issue of juvenile life without parole prison sentences. Concerned victims’ families have organized, and are making themselves available to tell the truth about these horrific crimes, the offenders, and the associated prison sentences being debated nationally. The Juvenile Life without Parole (JLWOP) sentence has been under attack by offender advocacy groups ever since the Supreme Court decided the Roper v Simmons case in 2005 barring the execution of offenders under age 18.

Victims’ families will be at the Court on November 9, and can be arranged for media availability by calling Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, listed above. Also, victims’ family members in more than a dozen states around the nation have agreed to be available for the news media during this entire process. They share their powerful stories in a very articulate manner, providing facts and counterpoint to the campaign of misinformation that accompanies reports by offender advocates.

The Heritage Foundation at www.heritage.org has also published an important report on the issue of JLWOP sentencing, Adult Time for Adult Crime, and its author Charles “Cully” Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation is also available to the media to share his extensive legal expertise.

For more information, see our website at www.jlwopvictims.org or contact NOVJL President Daniel Horowitz, or NOVJL founder Jennifer Bishop Jenkins above to arrange victims’ families to speak in the media. Daniel Horowitz is a nationally renowned defense attorney who is a frequent guest analyst on national news media, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox and other stations.
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Kristina Grill

That's my sister, Krissy, as I called her. This is the last picture I have of her, it was taken at school about a week before she was killed. It came in the mail from the school about two weeks after the funeral. She never saw it, but you can...




As the holiday of Halloween draws near, it felt like the right time to tell my own family experience with a Juvenile serving Life without Parole. I distinctly recall throwing away the candy she collected trick or treating a week before she was murdered, so the two stay together in my mind.

It was a difficult time for my 15 year old sister. She had been secretly seeing a boy from school, as she was sure my family would not accept him. They were together for several months before he broke it off. Unfortunately, by the time he broke it off, she was pregnant. She carried that secret for a few months, and finally decided she had to tell my Mom the truth. I remember being 15 and thinking that if you ignored stuff that bothered you it would just go away. This wasn't that kind of problem...

My sister set up a meeting in a school yard with her former boyfriend, who she still loved, to talk about the baby. She had resolved that she would meet with him, and then tell our Mom that night. That never happened, we found out about the pregnancy, and the boyfriend from the Pittsburgh Police Department. We found out the details from her diary, which also led them to her murderer.

Her killer, also 15 at the time, brought a kitchen knife to the meeting. He would later tell police he planned to kill himself after the meeting. I don't know what was said at that meeting, I've often wondered how she spent those last few minutes of her life before he attacked her.

At some point, he lashed out at her with the knife he "just happened to have with him". He proceeded to stab her 11 times about the neck area and punched and kicked her repeatedly. After he had stabbed her to the point that she would bleed to death in that school yard, he zipped up her jacket, watched her 'twitching' on the ground and departed for home. A seven year old neighborhood boy would find my sister dead in that school yard and go tell his Mom.

When my Mom reported her missing that evening, her friends lied about where she was. They thought they were doing her a favor. Shortly after calling the Police, they came to my Mother's home with a ring my sister had been wearing to do a preliminary ID. That is the moment, the point where all the air is sucked out of your life and it sort of becomes like you are watching a movie. We then had to decide who would go do the identification, thankfully my sister's step mother volunteered. The media was calling our homes and knocking on doors looking for quotes. We had to keep the funeral quiet to avoid news cameras at the grave site.

The strain and emotional impact this had on my Mother was just too much. She was just 54 years old when I buried her with my sister.It was 9 months after my sister's death, and one day before the trial started.

The trial process is intended to help you find closure and justice. In some ways that is true. But, the reality is, it is just day after day of pain and revisiting the most painful thing you've ever experienced. Shortly after the preliminary hearings, the District Attorney told us she'd be pursuing adult charges and a life sentence due to the violence and premeditation of the crime.

We sat through juror selection, trying to find people who hadn't heard all of this on the news and formed an opinion. And then the trial began. I can still vividly describe the images of my sister's body that the coroner used during his testimony. I actually had nightmares about it for months after the trial ended. The police explained that they were able to identify shoe prints on her pregnant belly from her killer. He, had gone home, showered, and went about his day after leaving her, with his child inside her, to bleed to death in the school yard.

In the end, after several weeks in court, he was found guilty, and subsequently sentenced to Life without Parole. We all walked away with the relief that the justice system had provided the best they could for us to move on. We believed that we would never have to revisit the judicial process for her case. We thought we could try to find our way out of the emotional abyss this had created. We accepted the word of the justice system that he would never be free.

As I write this, the momentum and media focus on the 'poor' kids serving these sentences is rampant. Both the Federal and State governments are investigating changes to these laws that allow life sentences to Juveniles offenders. It is perfectly understandable that people who have never heard a coroner describe their loved ones last moments might support this kind of action. If it must be that the courts will go that way, it is morally imperative that any such decision not be retroactive. We had our verdict, and it was just, we should not have to testify and relive that pain every year, or every so many years in order to preserve what the law promised us to be.

I pray that no one else ever has to go through this experience, and if they do that the justice system is there to offer them what is just.

Elizabeth Olten

This is Elizabeth Olten in an undated photo provided by the Sherif's Department. She was 9 years old when she left this earth at the hands of a juvenile murderer.



It all started on a Wednesday evening, when Elizabeth never came home after leaving a friends house on foot. The police were called after she never showed up. The family described her as shy, and that she was afraid of the dark. Their immediate reaction was that something bad had happened, and they were correct.

There are still many details to come in this case. The police were able to track the killer through 'written evidence' that has yet to be revealed.

On October 24th, 2009 a 15 year old was arrested as a suspect in the murder of this 9 year old girl. Under current law, the suspect will start out in the Juvenile system and if warranted, be moved to the adult system. The charges are First Degree Murder.

This 9 year old will never have another birthday, never see another day, and has family and loved ones who have to deal with that void everyday. This 9 year old was taken from this earth by a 15 year old individual who should and shall be held accountable for their actions.

Adult Time for Adult Crime: Eric Hancock » The Foundry

Adult Time for Adult Crime: Eric Hancock » The Foundry


The Heritage Foundation is spotlighting Juvenilles serving LWOP. Take a look. This particular crime also happens to be in Pittsburgh.

Richard, Nancy, and Baby Langert

Meet Richard and Nancy Langert, a young twenty something couple with everything to live for. In addition to their love for each other, they were expecting their first child...



The concept of a random act of violence is a frightening one. The more terrifying version is a world where a stranger breaks in to your home and murders you, just because.

It was a time to celebrate, Nancy 25 and Richard 28, were expecting their first child. Upon returning home from a Saturday night out, they were ambushed by their killer. He proceeded to handcuff Richard and force the couple in to the basement of their home. In that basement, the killer shot Richard point-blank in the back of his head with a 357 Magnum.

At that point, the killer turned the gun on Nancy and her unborn child. As she crossed her arms to cover her unborn baby, the killer fired twice directly in to her belly. The impact of those shots was so powerful that the unborn baby was, as described by the coroner, exploded. The sex of the unborn baby couldn't be determined.

Nancy was left in that basement to bleed to death. Evidence suggests that while she bled to death, she tried to make it upstairs to phone for help, made noise to try to draw help, and finally crawled to where her husband lay dead. In her own blood she drew a heart and the letter u with the last of her life here on earth.

Love You.

The perpetrator of this crime was 16 at the time of this crime. It took several months for the police to locate the killer, because he had no real ties to the couple. Once he was identified, police found the gun he used to kill the couple, press clippings about the murder, and poems about killing them. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to Life without Parole.

The reason this individual chose to kill Nancy and Richard? They lived across the street from a Police station. The killer killed them because he wanted to see what it would feel like to shoot someone. He wanted to execute this sinister plan across the street from the police station because he could do it right under the Police's nose.

It is incomprehensible the grief this family must have suffered at the hands of what can only be described as a monster. Is it really a compelling argument to ponder whether this individual was fully developed mentally? That he somehow did not understand the consequences of his actions?

As the Supreme Court decision comes closer regarding juvenile sentencing, we all need to remain aware and vigilant that this type of perpetrator is impacted by decisions that examine what you may consider lesser crimes.

Danni...

I'd like to introduce you all to Danni. She was the oldest of three children in a happy, loving home in Allentown, Pa. She hoped to someday to work with animals, perhaps as a Veterinarian. She loved her parents, her siblings, and the freedom to go outside and play with her friends, always adhering to the curfew her parents had set. Then one day, she didn't come home when she was expected.


It had been only 11 days earlier that her family had celebrated her 12th birthday. She was a 6th grader at a local school. She was at that age, you remember, when you're teetering on the edge between childhood and your teenage years. She had the whole world in front of her for the taking...

But, then she missed curfew. She had checked in once, and was expected home sharply at 5:30pm. Her parents knew immediately that something was wrong. It's a sense parents have about their children. If you have children, you know what I'm talking about. When she was two hours late, they formed their own search party and tried to locate her, while waiting for the police to arrive. In what had to seem utterly surreal, her family searched frantically for her, while asking her friends if they had seen her. The stories were all the same, she had been seen with a 17 year old teenager from the neighborhood. When Danni's father questioned the boy, he flatly lied to the man's face, telling him he hadn't seen her for hours.

After hours of waiting and wondering, with police helicopters and dogs all around, Dawn and Darryl got the news no parent should ever have to hear. The police needed a photograph of Danni, because they thought they had found her in a nearby river and needed to identify her body. What followed were weeks, months, and even years of disbelief and pain. They buried their 12 year old girl, and tried to find a way to make it through the days.

The case is one of the most infamous in their hometown of Allentown. The District Attorney worked closely with the family to provide them the support and justice they deserved. The prosecution was actually planning on proceeding with a death penalty charge when a plea was struck for life in prison for the perpetrator. This sentence, was agreed to by Danni's family in good faith. With an understanding that this killer would never set foot outside of prison. It is incomprehensible that a contemplation of retroactive sentencing could allow this individual to go free and put Danni's family through more pain.

The killer, it turns out, was the teenager Danni's Dad spoke with during the search. He had plotted in great detail exactly what he would do to Danni on that fateful day. He sent a younger boy to the door to see if Danni could play, knowing he would not be able to call on her himself. The killer, you see, was 17 years old, no parent was going to let her go off with him. But, by sending the younger boy, he was able to lure her to the playground without arousing suspicion.

In preparation for the day he took Danni's life, this 'child' had put great thought in to what would happen. He had created a list entitled "23 things to do to a girl in the woods". The list included among other things : beat her, rape her, dress her back up, kill her, and throw her in the river. It breaks my heart to tell you he succeeded on completing all the tasks he had compiled in that list on that day.

The tragic story of Danni is one I, nor you, should ever forget. This vibrant, beautiful child was brutally taken from this world and her loved ones by a teenager. There are plenty of reports and studies that tell you that a teenager isn't fully developed or able to be held accountable for their actions. How can we, any of us, live in a world where a psychological theory on child development could ever weigh more than the life of Danni?

Any consideration of changes to Juvenile sentencing laws that is not prospective only, will make it likely that Danni's family will have to continue to go back to the court system to fight for the justice they thought they had already received.

I find more and more, that people tell me that the cases I am familiar with are 'extreme' and not the focus of the sentencing opponents. I am fairly certain, as I meet more families like Danni's that the 'extreme' is a lot more common than any of you would like to believe. If you believe that a teenager, any teenager, is capable of such a brutal, premeditated act, you have to accept it could happen to your family too. It's a lot easier to just believe it is a rare and unique situation. I pray you are right, but I beg you to remember Danni when you contemplate life without parole for juvenile offenders.

About Victim's of Juvenile Life without Parole

Welcome!
I recently heard the group of people who follow this issue referred to as 'the club noone wants to belong to'. That is such an appropriate description for the people who are concerned with JLWOP, probably on both sides of the issue.

In the United States, there are a ~ 2200 people serving life sentences in prisons for crimes they committed as children. The focus on this issue has been increasing as both information becomes more readily available online, and human rights groups get involved in the discussion. The movement to parole some of these people and alter legislation that allows this type of sentence for juveniles is in full swing. In the next session of the United States Supreme Court, they will argue life sentences without parole for 2 different Juvenile offenders. As that case begins to take shape, it is with a touch of sadness and a sense of purpose that the people who lost loved ones to those juvenile offenders have to stand up and fight back.

If you search the web for JLWOP, you will find all sorts of sources about why it is cruel, unusual, and unjust to incarcerate a child for the length of their life. They were just kids, didn't we all make mistakes, don't we all deserve a second chance? I think it's fair to say that most of us DID make mistakes as a child we are truly sorry for and would like to take back, but you can't take it back. Now, imagine that the 'mistake' the person made was to take another person's life? All the remorse and regret in the world will not undo that act. The lives that are touched and destroyed by your actions in that case are never the same. In theory, a person can be rehabilitated, ask for forgiveness, and learn from their mistakes. But, when a crime is so heinous that it was eligible for this type of sentence in the first place, the concept of justice requires that the perpetrator serve their sentence, as a means of serving that justice, which is one of the few things victims in these scenarios have left to hold on to.

Our missions here is a simple one, but one that has not really been served in the age of the internet. For many of these offenders for whom you are asked to have mercy there are dead parents, siblings, children, and loved ones. Those people, the true victims, cannot speak for themselves. They did not get a second chance at life. They are gone, often leaving loved ones who try desperately to cling to their positive memories while attempting to forget the tragedy of their deaths. What is intended here, is to provide a voice to those victims. To put a face and some humanity on those victims. When you read the human rights studies, you will see the numbers, with the crimes diminished to a statistical measure. What I ask, is that you realize that with each of those numbers in a chart, there is a person, who had dreams, hopes, and loved ones that is no longer on this earth.

If there is a need to change legislation regarding sentincing laws, there needs to be both consideration for the crime on an individual basis and those changes should be prospective. Any changes to any sentincing laws that are retrospective would shatter many lives that have already been pieced together.

Starting with my next post, I'll introduce you to some of the victims of the folks serving JLWOP. You can put a face and a name and the circumstances to those statistics you see in reports. I'll also try to keep you updated on issues or news stories that talk about the issue.

If you haven't done so, please visit The National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifers It is a great place to meet other family members who lost loved ones to Juveniles.

Thanks for reading. It is truly my belief that together we can make a difference. Please contact me if you would like further information or would like to have your loved one profiled here.