The Georgia Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to review the case of a teenager whose failed robbery attempt ended with him fatally shooting a baby in the face.
The Brunswick News reports the review was ordered Friday per De’Marquise Kareem Elkins’ claim that he had ineffective counsel. Elkins, then 17, was convicted in 2013 of murder and other charges in the shooting of Antonio Santiago and two others. He was sentenced to life without parole plus 125 years.
The state Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that it’s unconstitutional in most circumstances to sentence a minor to life without parole. On that basis, he filed a motion for a new trial that was denied without a hearing. The state Supreme Court says his motion should’ve been granted a hearing.
———
Information from: The News, http://www.thebrunswicknews.com