September 28, 2017 - 7:33 AM
PHILADELPHIA - A man convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer when he was 15 years old will have the opportunity to seek parole.
Philly.com reports (http://bit.ly/2yvwyrc ) Judge Barbara McDermott sentenced 57-year-old Andre Martin to 44 years to life during a resentencing hearing on Wednesday. Martin had previously been convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole in the shooting of officer John Trettin in 1976.
A 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling deemed life sentences against juveniles as unconstitutional. Under martin's new sentence, he will be eligible to seek parole in three years.
Defence lawyers say Martin endured physical abuse throughout his childhood that triggered anger. The lawyers say he has transformed since the shooting and is remorseful.
McDermott says she made the decision after considering the nature of the crime and Martin's personal development.
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Information from: Philly.com, http://www.philly.com/
News from © The Associated Press, 2017