Veal v. State

Summary

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the trial court’s sentencing of Robert Veal, rejecting his claim that the aggregate life‑with‑parole sentences constitute a de facto life‑without‑parole sentence prohibited by Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana. The Court also held that Veal’s state‑constitutional claim was abandoned. The decision rests on the view that Miller and Montgomery apply only to actual LWOP sentences and do not require individualized hearings for non‑LWOP sentences.