A Michigan man sentenced to life in prison without parole when he was 17 was resentenced Wednesday to reflect a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling against issuing life sentences for most juvenile offenders.
Odies Murray, now 33, was convicted in 2008 of murder, assault with intent to commit murder and two counts of felony firearms, Michigan Department of Corrections records show.
The charges stem from an August 2007 incident in Kalamazoo where he shot Tires Sykes, 19, in the jaw and Walter Revera, 31, in the neck and back after a fight over a slushie and a series of “other fights”. Sykes died two months after the shooting at a hospital and Revera remained in a vegetative state until his death in December 2010 at a nursing home, local media reported.
On Wednesday, Murray was re-sentenced to 40 to 60 years, according to Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Williams. He will receive credit for his 14th birthday so far.
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Odies Murray, now 33, was re-sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison after initially receiving a life sentence without parole when he was 17.
(Michigan Department of Corrections)
Murray will be eligible for parole in 2048 after he turns 40, the Associated Press reported. The 19-40 year sentence he received for assault with intent to commit murder has not changed and will run concurrently with the new sentence.
The 2012 SCOTUS ruling requiring Murray to be resentenced states that mandatory life sentences for most juveniles “constitute cruel and unusual punishment” due to developmental differences in the brain and should only be used for the offender. “rare” young man unable to reform himself.
Kalamazoo County Assistance Attorney Ken Barnard argued that Murray has done nothing in prison to show that he is rehabilitating, adding that a new case is pending against him in Ionia County for allegedly assaulting staff at prison, reported M Live.
A Google Earth image shows the exterior of the 8th District Court building in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Murray was sentenced on Wednesday, December 28.
(Google Earth)
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During the resentencing, Murray said he takes full responsibility for his actions, saying he “took two lives for basically nothing,” the Michigan outlet reported. He also apologized to the families of the victims.
“However, I did a terrible thing,” Murray said. “Like, there’s nothing I can do to change it. One thing I can do to try to grow from the situation. (There’s) nothing I can do to change it.”
Murray is housed at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Center in Ionia, Michigan.
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Kalamazoo County Chief Circuit Judge Gary Giguere Jr., who presided over Murray’s initial trial, handed down the new sentence. According to M Live, Giguere also said that Murray’s actions in prison show that he hasn’t changed, and he doubts he’ll become less dangerous as he gets older.
Murray is being held in Level IV security at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Center, according to MDOC.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
