Issue

Standard of review—cruel and unusual punishment—life imprisonment without parole—juvenile defendant

Summary

In a first-degree murder case involving a juvenile defendant who, after his conviction, appealed his sentence of life imprisonment without parole on the ground that it violated his Eighth Amendment rights, the appellate court properly reviewed the trial court's sentencing determination for an abuse of discretion. Thus, there was no merit to defendant's argument that, instead of applying an abuse of discretion standard, the appellate court should have engaged in a "meaningful analysis" of whether the trial court's findings supported a conclusion that he was "irreparably corrupt."

Summary from the North Carolina Reports digest (official subject index). Read the opinion →