Media Alert: On the Air with Fox 25

Tonight I will once again be a special guest on the Fox 25 Evening News 5:00pm broadcast, where I’ll be discussing a juvenile 1^st degree murder bill that is expected to be debated on during tomorrow’s formal Senate session.

Currently, the bill would set parole eligibility for juveniles convicted of first degree murder at 20-30 years, but does not apply retroactively to those who have already been convicted of the crime.  To learn more about a recent U.S. Supreme Court case and a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case on the matter, click here to read an earlier blog post.

Please tune in at 5:00pm to watch tonight’s broadcast.

Media Alert: On the Air with Fox 25

Tonight at 5:00pm I will once again be a guest on the Fox 25 Evening News where I’ll be discussing with Maria Stephanos Thursday’s parole board hearing and decision to grant parole to Frederick Christian. In 1994, Christian, while still a juvenile, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole because of his role in a robbery that resulted in the death of two individuals, and seriously wounding a third.

However, in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision and a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision, juveniles can no longer be sentenced to life in prison without the option of parole citing the 8th Amendment’s cruel and unusual punishment clause. The retroactive rulings now require juveniles convicted of first degree murder to serve at least 15 years after their conviction for parole eligibility, which is the same for an individual convicted of second degree murder.

In response to those rulings, I sponsored a bill setting parole for juveniles convicted of first degree murder at 35 years. The bicameral and bipartisan bill, which has 32 co-sponsors, has the support of the District Attorneys Association. To read more about the bill, please click here to read a previous blog post.

Tune in at 5:00pm to watch tonight’s Fox 25 segment.

Seeking Justice for Victims and their Families

 

Yesterday, Senate Bill 2008, An Act relative to juvenile life with parole, received a public hearing before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.  The bill, which I filed and that has both bicameral and bipartisan support of 32 additional co-sponsors, requires juveniles convicted of first degree murder to serve a minimum of 35 years before becoming eligible for parole.

With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Alabama v. Miller (2012) and Massachusetts Supreme Court rulings in Diatchenko v. District Attorney and Commonwealth v. Brown (2013), the Massachusetts Courts can no longer sentence juveniles convicted of first degree murder with life without parole, reasoning that such a sentence is cruel and unusual punishment. 

The retroactive rulings now require parole eligibility for those juveniles convicted of first degree murder at 15-25 years after the conviction, which is the same for an individual who has been convicted of second degree murder.  Senate bill 2008 would make parole eligible to juveniles serving life sentences at 35 years after conviction and ensure that the parole board considers factors recognized by the Courts as necessary to safeguard a proportional sentence.

Prior to yesterday’s Judiciary hearing, the families of Beth Brodie, Janet Downing, Amy Carnevale, Lewis Jennings, and Bonnie Sue Mitchell stood with me in support of the measure.  To view some of the news coverage from yesterday, please play the posted videos below.  Also, to read today’s Boston.com report please click here.

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

On the Air with Channel 5

Yesterday WCVB Channel 5’s Pam Cross visited the State House to report on the progress of S.2008, An Act relative to juvenile life with parole, a bill I filed that would set parole at 35 years for juveniles convicted of 1^st degree murder.

To watch Pam’s report please click here.  To read a previous blog post on the issue please click here.

On the Air with Fox 25

I made two appearances on the Fox 25 news program last night to discuss the backlog of bills that have been awaiting action by the Judiciary Committee. A total of 791 bills are still pending in committee, including several bills to protect children from sex offenders, and more than 200 are still waiting for a hearing, including a bill addressing parole for juvenile murderers and the Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety Act (the PAWS Act) filed in the wake of the horrific Puppy Doe case.

To watch both segments, please click on the video link below. A complete list of all 791 bills still pending before the Judiciary Committee can be found in yesterday’s Tarr Talk post.

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Media Alert: Greater Boston with Emily Rooney

Tonight at 7:00pm I will be a featured guest on WGBH’s Greater Boston with host Emily Rooney.  I will be discussing with Emily and Defense Attorney Jack Cuhna, a bill that I filed that would provide parole for juveniles convicted of 1^st degree murder.

Please tune in to watch tonight’s segment.  To learn more about the bill please click here to read a previous blog post.