In Prison Since Age 14, Convict Again Sentenced To Life
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Cook County judge said courts got it right the first time when they sentenced a 14-year-old to life in prison for a double murder in 1990, and again sentenced the now-38-year-old convict to life at a re-sentencing mandated by a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Now 38, Adolfo Davis, had sought to be released from custody after serving 24 years in prison, but prosecutors said he deserved to spend the rest of his life behind bars, and on Monday, Judge Angela Petrone agreed.
Davis was convicted of helping fellow gang members rob a rival gang's drug house, killing two men and shooting two others.
Defense attorneys had argued Davis was just a lookout in the 1990 double homicide, but prosecutors said the evidence showed Davis was the shooter, and Petrone agreed, calling him a "willing shooter" and a "hands-on active participant in the planning and execution of these crimes."
"The defendant's acts showed an aggression and callous disregard for human life far beyond his tender age of 14," Petrone said.
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She also noted Davis had a "substantial criminal history before he committed these acts," including at least 19 arrests -- including charges of armed robbery, gang intimidation, attempted burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, property damage, and drug charges.
The judge said, while he grew up without a father and had a mother with a drug problem, Davis continued to make poor decisions after he went to prison, threatening to kill a warden, attacking guards and inmates, smuggling drugs, setting fires, and passing messages to gang leaders.
Petrone said attempts at self-improvement, and the backing of "well-meaning , but uninformed" supporters was not enough to warrant a more lenient sentence.
Davis hung his head on a table in the courtroom after Petrone handed down her ruling.
"This sentence is necessary to deter others. It is necessary to protect the public from harm," she said.
He was originally sentenced to life in prison at the age of 14, but managed to get a new sentencing hearing, because of a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found automatic life sentences for juvenile defendants are unconstitutional.
"The prior sentence was the correct one," Petrone said.
Cook County prosecutors praised Petrone's ruling.
"We are very pleased with the Court's decision to reinstate the natural life sentence of this defendant. Based upon the heinous nature of this crime and the fact that Davis was an active and willing participant in these murders, we believe that this sentence is appropriate on behalf of the victims of this crime and their families, as well as the People of the State of Illinois," the Cook County State's Attorney's office said in a written statement.
Davis was the first of roughly 80 cases in Cook County in which juvenile defendants received mandatory life sentences, and are expected to receive new sentencing hearings. Cook County prosecutors said each of those cases will be reviewed prior to a new hearing, based on the facts and evidence in each case.
