State v. Young

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS No. 127,442 STATE OF KANSAS, Appellee, v. KYLE D. YOUNG, Appellant. SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 1. K.S.A. 21-6620(c) and K.S.A. 21-6623 provide that a judge must sentence an individual convicted of premeditated first-degree murder to life in prison with a minimum term of 50 years unless the judge concludes substantial and compelling mitigating factors justify a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years. In this context, "substantial" means something real and of substance, not imagined or ephemeral, and a "compelling" reason is one based on the facts…