A state appeals court ordered a convicted murderer who was to spend 63 years in prison be re-sentenced.
NEWARK -- In May 2013, then 20-year-old Jaworski Sneed was sentenced to serve at least 63 years in prison for the 2010 murder of a Newark grocery store owner. Under the sentence, Sneed would be 83 years old before being eligible for parole.
Sneed, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was convicted of the Dec. 24, 2010 murder of store owner Darryl Logan, 47. He was sentenced to serve at least 63 3/4 years in prison, a term that raised eyebrows among legal experts, who said juveniles convicted in homicides usually receive sentences of up to 30 years.
Last week, a three-judge appeals court panel ordered that Sneed be re-sentenced and given a realistic chance at parole. Noting Sneed's age, the Appellate Court judges said that "the trial court must insure that his sentence does not amount to a life sentence without parole ..."
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Here are some reader reactions to the Appellate Court judges order to re-sentence Sneed.
When somebody is on the ground and shot in the back, it amounts to an execution. He's lucky he wasn't in a state like Texas. He would've been given the death penalty for a crime this horrible.
The age of the criminal at the time of the crime does not make the victims any less dead. Life in jail, the trial court judge got it right.
He is a kid....differentiating right from wrong has yet to fully develop in his brain yet....20-30 years should suffice....60 plus years is in fact way too harsh.
I knew murder was wrong way before I was 17.
Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.