State v. M.L.

Michael L. was born in 1984. He was placed in foster care after being sexually abused by his parents. When he was ten years old, Michael pleaded guilty to raping his five-year-old foster brother. He pleaded guilty to one count of first degree rape of a child and one count of attempted first degree rape of a child. The guilty plea form indicated that the standard sentencing range for these offenses was 21 to 28 weeks on the rape count and 8 to 12 weeks on the attempt count. The record reflects that Michael had no prior juvenile offenses.

At the sentencing hearing, the prosecuting attorney…