State v. Holt
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated burglary. Utilizing Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-4635, the sentencing judge imposed a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for fifty years for Defendant’s murder conviction. Defendant appealed, arguing, among other things, that the sentencing judge erred in imposing a hard fifty sentence because section 21-4635, the hard sentencing statute in effect at the time of his sentencing, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions, vacated his hard fifty sentence, and remanded for resentencing, holding that section 21-4635 violates the Sixth Amendment because it imposes additional punishment based on factors not submitted to a jury and proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sign up for free summaries delivered directly to your inbox. Learn More › You already receive new opinion summaries from Kansas Supreme Court. Did you know we offer summary newsletters for even more practice areas and jurisdictions? Explore them here.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.