Michigan Supreme Court
People of Michigan v. Kemo Knicombi Parks
July 28, 2022
Summary
The Michigan Supreme Court held that automatically sentencing an 18-year-old convicted of first-degree murder to life without parole violates the Michigan Constitution's prohibition on cruel or unusual punishment because it fails to account for the mitigating characteristics of late-adolescent youth. The court extended the individualized sentencing protections applicable to juveniles to 18-year-old defendants, while permitting life without parole after the required procedure and findings. Parks's automatic life-without-parole sentence was vacated and the case was remanded for resentencing.