Altoona Mirror/CapitolWire: “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Pennsylvania’s practice of sentencing those convicted of felony murder to automatic life sentences is unconstitutional.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday called on lawmakers to send him legislation responding to the ruling.

‘Common sense and true justice dictate that we need different penalties for different conduct. For example, the getaway driver shouldn’t get the same sentence as the person who pulls the trigger,’ Shapiro said in a statement. ‘Per the Supreme Court’s order, it is now time for the General Assembly to act and come up with a thoughtful, just process to address those who are serving life sentences for second degree murder.’

The ruling impacts inmates who were convicted of felony murder, meaning they were convicted of committing a felony crime during which someone was killed.

In this case, Derek Lee was convicted for his role in a 2014 robbery in Pittsburgh in which a victim was killed. Court documents indicate that Lee pistol-whipped one of the victims in the basement of a home, then ran upstairs. After Lee left the room, one of the victims was shot and died while trying to take a gun from the other robber. Lee was convicted of second-degree murder.

The ruling likely will impact between 1,100-1,300 inmates who are serving life sentences for felony murder convictions, Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the Abolitionist Law Center, told CapitolWire/State Affairs in an interview Thursday. The Abolitionist Law Center represented Lee in the appeal.”

Read the full article