Legal Opinion
State v. Pierce
Court of Appeals of Arizona
Decided January 21, 2010No. 1 CA-CR 08-0715PublishedCited by 9 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION
PORTLEY, Judge.
¶ 1 In this opinion we address whether the natural life sentence for John Balia Pierce, who was sixteen at the time he committed first-degree murder, violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Because we find no constitutional violation, we affirm. 1
BACKGROUND 2
¶2 Pierce, Michael Carey, Angel Smiley, and Sarah Duran were driven to an area near the victim’s house on December 21, 2006. Duran, Carey, Smiley, and Pierce got out of the car. Pierce and Smiley had handguns, while Carey retrieved a shotgun he had placed in the ear’s trunk.…
2Cases cited11 opinions
- Miranda v. ArizonaSupreme Court of the United States · 1966
- Furman v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1972
- Harmelin v. MichiganSupreme Court of the United States · 1991
- Roper v. SimmonsSupreme Court of the United States · 2005
- State v. FontesCourt of Appeals of Arizona · 1998
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by9 opinions
- Andrew Conley v. State of IndianaIndiana Supreme Court · 2012
- Loggins v. ThomasCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2011
- State v. AndrewsSupreme Court of Missouri · 2011
- Bun v. StateSupreme Court of Georgia · 2015
- Andrew Conley v. State of IndianaIndiana Supreme Court · 2012
4 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.