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. The court concluded that the theory was baseless, racially stereotyped Black youth, and improperly treated characteristics of adolescence as aggravating rather than mitigating. It reversed the denial of the motion to correct and remanded for resentencing.