State v. Belcher

Summary

The court held that the defendant's sentence was imposed in an illegal manner because the sentencing court substantially relied on the materially false and unreliable superpredator theory. That reliance violated due process because the theory distorted the sentencing process, invoked racial stereotypes, and treated characteristics of youth as aggravating rather than mitigating. The judgment denying the motion to correct was reversed, and the case was remanded for resentencing.