Should a 15-Year-Old Who Killed Four People Be Sentenced to Life in Prison? - Slate Magazine (blog)

In 1998 a 15-year-old Oregon boy named Kipland "Kip" Kinkel shot and killed his parents, then brought his guns to school, where he killed two people and wounded 25 more before he was disarmed. Oregon does not generally give mandatory life sentences without parole, but Judge Jack Mattison came as close as he could, sentencing Kinkel to 111 years and eight months in prison without parole, effectively ensuring that the spree killer would die behind bars. Now, in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision that found mandatory life sentences for minors to be unconstitutional, Kinkel's lawyers have asked for a new sentencing hearing. The gambit is unlikely to succeed, but the issues it raises merit some attention.