The district attorney’s office agreed Thursday that Harris received ineffective assistance of counsel, according to Cormac Boyle, an attorney with the Promise of Justice Initiative who represented Harris. For more details of these cookies and how to disable them, see our cookie policy. His attorney called his sentence of life in prison "unconstitutionally harsh and excessive.". ABBEVILLE, La. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Police are also keen to anyone who was driving past the scene, and any delivery drivers collecting orders from KFC, as it is likely that their dashcam or helmet cam may have captured what happened. The argument continued outside and the victim, a man in his 50's, lost consciousness after allegedly being assaulted. But Vermilion Parish prosecutors invoked the habitual offender law, and the judge changed course, saying he had no choice but to sentence Harris to the maximum time, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate said. Weimer noted in his opinion that the trial judge said that Harris was "not a drug kingpin" and didn't fit what they thought of "as a drug dealer, so far as I can tell.". Weimer wrote that those were the main reasons the maximum 30-year sentence was not imposed. He was resentenced to 9 years, which he already served, according to a statement from the organization. At Harris’ initial sentencing in 2012, a judge suggested he receive a 15-year sentence instead of the 30-year maximum. (CNN)A military veteran serving a life sentence for selling less than $30 worth of marijuana will soon be released from prison, his attorney said. Bothremain in custody. Another decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court last week was roundly criticized: Justices voted to, Fair Wayne Bryant was convicted in 1997 on one count of attempted simple burglary and sentened to life in prison. Posted By: StormCnter, 9/23/2020 8:40:21 AM The house that Glen McCurley lived in for 30 years was empty on Tuesday morning. By Amanda Garrity The public in Walton-on-Thames may notice an increased police presence as a result of the investigation. The decision reached Thursday in Vermilion Parish will allow Derek Harris to be freed after nine years in state prison, news outlets reported. Louisiana Supreme Court upholds Black man's life sentence for stealing hedge clippers more than 20 years ago, Nevada governor announces plans to pardon small marijuana possession convictions, New York to expunge thousands of marijuana convictions, uphold a man's life sentence for stealing hedge clippers. He also noted that Harris had a substance abuse problem that started when he returned from. "His prior offenses were nonviolent and related to his untreated dependency on drugs," Louisiana Supreme Court Justice John Weimer wrote in his opinion. A man was left with life-threatening injuries after a fight at a KFC in Walton-on-Thames which saw two other men arrested, Surrey Police said. Boyle said Harris was set to be released and would move to be near family in Kentucky. Five white, male justices voted to uphold his conviction, while the lone Black, female justice provided the one dissenting vote. He had prior nonviolent convictions for theft and drug-related offenses, records showed. He was resentenced in 2012 to life in prison under the Habitual Offender Law, which allows judges to impose stricter sentences on someone who's been charged before.
