Bowen v. Hobbs (Per Curiam)
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Appellant, who was seventeen years old at the time of the crime, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Appellant later filed a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus, arguing, among other things, that his sentence was illegal because he was sentenced to life in prison for a crime committed while he was a juvenile without any consideration of his youth. The circuit court dismissed the petition. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) because Appellant’s life sentence for first-degree murder was not mandatory, Appellant’s sentence was not illegal under Miller v. Alabama; and (2) Appellant’s claims of ineffective assistance of counsel were not cognizable in a habeas proceeding.
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