Tag: criminal sentencing

Corey Becker pleaded guilty to attempted first–degree murder and to one count of kidnapping. He broke into a man’s house in St. Cloud. He then beat him and choked the victim. Becker had never been inside the man’s home before. Becker also did not know the victim. Becker stated that he did not remember the incident because he was drunk. He broke in around 3:30 a.m. and went into the man’s bedroom. He grabbed him by the throat and said, “you are the devil, and you need to die.” The man almost passed out from being choked. But was able to escape from his bathroom window. Becker also demanded sex from the man. The victim went to his neighbor’s house and was nude and badly beaten. Becker was found at another residence in the neighborhood. He said he did not know anything about the incident. The prosecutor is asking for an 18-year prison sentence. Becker’s sentencing is scheduled for January 22, 2015.
Defendants who are convicted of federal crimes are subject to federal sentencing guidelines. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, judges are bound by certain parameters when sentencing a defendant. The federal sentencing guidelines take into account the seriousness of the offense and the defendant's criminal history.
When most people in the Twin Cities hear about a 16-year prison sentence, they assume the person convicted did something extremely horrible or heinous so as to get such a large sentence. Unfortunately, some courts throw out these lengthy sentences for something as minor as a robbery or a felon in possession of a firearm charge. As a 42-year-old Minneapolis man pled guilty to the weapons charge and interference with commerce by robbery, he may never have imagined that he would spend the next 195 months behind bars.
The United States Supreme Court heard a case on Monday that will decide whether federal judges can sentence prisoners for a longer amount of time for rehabilitation. The Court’s decision will impact over 80,000 federal criminals who are sentenced every year and those who seek criminal defense. The case made it to the Supreme Court because lower federal court judges are split as to whether rehabilitation time can be considered in a convicted criminal’s sentence.