Legal Opinion
Government of the Virgin Islands v. Martinez
District Court, Virgin Islands
Decided November 23, 1999No. D.C. CRIM. APP. NO. 1998/015PublishedCited by 8 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
*147OPINION OF THE COURT
2Per curiam
Johnnie Martinez, sentenced to 75 years after pleading guilty to second degree murder, appeals his punishment as offensive to the Eighth Amendment. The issue raised on appeal is whether a 75-year sentence for second degree murder constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the United States Constitution. For the reasons set forth below, the trial court's sentence will be affirmed.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
At about 10:30 p.m. on May 23, 1997, Johnnie Martinez ["Martinez," or "appellant"] was leaving the Pueblo Supermarket in Estate Golden Rock, St. Croix when he saw…
3Cases cited17 opinions
- North Carolina v. AlfordSupreme Court of the United States · 1970
- Solem v. HelmSupreme Court of the United States · 1983
- Harmelin v. MichiganSupreme Court of the United States · 1991
- Mistretta v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1989
- Rummel v. EstelleSupreme Court of the United States · 1980
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4Cited by8 opinions
- Warner v. Government of the Virgin IslandsDistrict Court, Virgin Islands · 2004
- Garcia v. Government of the V.I.District Court, Virgin Islands · 2006
- Henry v. Government of the Virgin IslandsDistrict Court, Virgin Islands · 2004
- Irons v. PeopleSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands · 2012
- Marsham v. Government of the Virgin IslandsDistrict Court, Virgin Islands · 2001
3 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.