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http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/14/juvenile.killer/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular
Supreme Court turns down boy killer's appeal
An imprisoned killer who was 12 years old when he committed a double murder, and then was given a 30-year sentence, was denied a hearing by the Supreme Court Monday.
art.pittman.jpg
Christopher Pittman, center, killed grandparents Joe Frank Pittman , left, and Joy Roberts Pittman.
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Christopher Pittman's defenders argued the sentence was excessive for someone that age and claim heavy doses of antidepressants he was taking at the time sent his mind spinning out of control.
Now 18, Pittman was convicted three years ago of killing his grandparents with a shotgun as they slept, then setting the house on fire.
The county prosecutor in South Carolina argued it "was as malicious a murder as you're ever going to find."
The justices, without comment, refused to intervene. At issue was whether the state properly used its discretion to try Pittman as an adult, whether the sentence was excessive, and whether mitigating factors should apply.
Outside a death-penalty context, the high court has offered little recent guidance on how to treat underage defendants.
Pittman's lawyers argued no other inmate in the United States is serving so severe a sentence for crime committed at such an early age.
Pittman, now 6 foot 2 inches tall, works grounds maintenance at an adult correctional facility outside Columbia, South Carolina. He received a GED high school equivalency in 2006.
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* U.S. Supreme Court
With the high court's denial of his appeal, Pittman has few legal options to have his sentence reduced. Under his current sentence, he would be released from prison in his mid-40s. He has a separate civil lawsuit against the state, alleging his court-appointed trial lawyers were ineffective.
At the time of the crime, the boy had bounced around homes for years, experiencing a half dozen family splits and divorces after his mother had twice abandoned him as a child. She has not been in Pittman's life for years.
Joe Pittman, the boy's father, raised Christopher Pittman and his sister for much of their lives, but the relationship between father and son deteriorated. A state psychologist later testified this was a "young man who'd had difficulty with the adults in his life."
After threatening to harm himself and suffering other emotional incidents, the boy was diagnosed as clinically depressed. His lawyers said Pittman was then given Paxil, a mild antidepressant no longer recommended for those under 18.
Supreme Court turns down boy killer's appeal
An imprisoned killer who was 12 years old when he committed a double murder, and then was given a 30-year sentence, was denied a hearing by the Supreme Court Monday.
art.pittman.jpg
Christopher Pittman, center, killed grandparents Joe Frank Pittman , left, and Joy Roberts Pittman.
Click to view previous image
1 of 3
Click to view next image
Christopher Pittman's defenders argued the sentence was excessive for someone that age and claim heavy doses of antidepressants he was taking at the time sent his mind spinning out of control.
Now 18, Pittman was convicted three years ago of killing his grandparents with a shotgun as they slept, then setting the house on fire.
The county prosecutor in South Carolina argued it "was as malicious a murder as you're ever going to find."
The justices, without comment, refused to intervene. At issue was whether the state properly used its discretion to try Pittman as an adult, whether the sentence was excessive, and whether mitigating factors should apply.
Outside a death-penalty context, the high court has offered little recent guidance on how to treat underage defendants.
Pittman's lawyers argued no other inmate in the United States is serving so severe a sentence for crime committed at such an early age.
Pittman, now 6 foot 2 inches tall, works grounds maintenance at an adult correctional facility outside Columbia, South Carolina. He received a GED high school equivalency in 2006.
Don't Miss
* U.S. Supreme Court
With the high court's denial of his appeal, Pittman has few legal options to have his sentence reduced. Under his current sentence, he would be released from prison in his mid-40s. He has a separate civil lawsuit against the state, alleging his court-appointed trial lawyers were ineffective.
At the time of the crime, the boy had bounced around homes for years, experiencing a half dozen family splits and divorces after his mother had twice abandoned him as a child. She has not been in Pittman's life for years.
Joe Pittman, the boy's father, raised Christopher Pittman and his sister for much of their lives, but the relationship between father and son deteriorated. A state psychologist later testified this was a "young man who'd had difficulty with the adults in his life."
After threatening to harm himself and suffering other emotional incidents, the boy was diagnosed as clinically depressed. His lawyers said Pittman was then given Paxil, a mild antidepressant no longer recommended for those under 18.
