People v. Dobben

Following a lengthy trial, a Muskegon Circuit Court jury found defendant guilty, but mentally ill, of two counts of first-degree murder, MCL 750.316; MSA 28.548. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of life imprisonment without parole. Defendant appeals as of right, raising five issues, one of which requires reversal.

i

The underlying facts of the charged crimes are not in dispute. On November 27, 1987, defendant placed his two young children in a foundry ladle at his workplace and ignited the burner beneath it. The boys died as a result of suffocation caused by the extreme heat.

The parties…