A 20-year-old from Florida will spend the rest of his life in a state prison because of his involvement in an armed robbery spree. According to the New York Daily News, the young man fired a gun during the robberies, but did not kill or injure anyone in the process. This is his first offense, and he is shocked that he has received such a harsh punishment.
Quartavious Davis and his defense attorney intend to appeal the sentence to a higher court, arguing that it is too severe for a first offense that did not involve any injuries or deaths. This sentence includes no possibility for parole, a stiff sentence that Davis’ equates with death. The U.S. Supreme Court recently took up the issue of harsh sentencing because of cases like this, and ruled that the state can’t mandate life imprisonment without parole for juveniles who have been convicted of murder.
However, Davis is not a juvenile and has not been sentenced for murder, so this ruling may not be able to help his case. There is a chance; however, the courts will be more willing to look into his situation because of the crackdown on other aspects of harsh sentencing. Also, Davis’ attorney is arguing for the fact that he was only 18 when he committed his crime. The young man is involved in an intricate string of robberies that began in August 2010.
He exchanged gunfire in several of the robberies, but only killed a dog in his assaults. While he wasn’t the ringleader of the robbery, he was given a serious sentence compared to his gang members. Others who participated in the robberies were all given plea deals and will spend between 9 and 22 years in prison as punishment. He was the only one who went on trial. If you are in a situation like Davis, and believe that you have been issued too harsh of a sentence, then talk to a personal injury lawyer about it right now.