Could the 1,100 people serving life for 2nd-degree murder in Pennsylvania get resentenced?
September 30, 2026
TribLive: “A Philadelphia man’s appeal of his mandatory life sentence without parole for second-degree murder could determine whether roughly 1,100 other similarly punished people in prisons across the state can seek new sentences.
In March, the state Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling that such a sentence for second-degree murder was unconstitutional in an Allegheny County case.
On Tuesday, the justices hearing Jerome Coffey’s appeal said they will look at whether that case should apply to Coffey and the hundreds of others already incarcerated for life on the same charge….
Advocates for those incarcerated believe the answer must be yes.
‘The court recognizes this is an issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later,’ said Bret Grote, legal director for the Abolitionist Law Center, which represents Coffey. ‘This is a necessary step in vindicating their rights.'”