Latest news with #PhillipPettus
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill eliminating youthful offender status for intentional murder
Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen speaks at the podium in the Alabama House of Representatives chamber, Feb. 25, 2025. Pettus sponsors a bill that would require courts to prosecute people younger than 21 as adults when they are charged with murder.(Photo/Stew Milne for the Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday approved legislation that would require courts to prosecute people 16 or older as adults when charged with murder. HB 146, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, passed 67-33, with several Republicans joining all the chamber's Democrats in opposing the measure. Pettus' bill would prevent judges from granting youthful offender status to anyone 16 or older facing a murder charge. Currently judges may grant youthful offender status for anyone under the age of 19. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The sponsor cited a case where a man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend was granted youthful offender status. Under youthful offender status, people convicted of murder serve a maximum of three years in prison, regardless of severity. 'There was a case where the judge made a bad decision, and he finally went back on it. This is to keep that from happening,' Pettus said. Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, a former judge, said the legislation would take away judicial discretion. 'I'm just opposed to removing judicial discretion,' Hill said. 'We don't want judges making the law from the bench.' Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, said the bill would create 'cookie cutter justice' and the legislation should have gone through the chamber's judiciary committees, instead of the Public Safety and Homeland Security committees. 'To strip, cold turkey, discretion away from judges, I just think we're going down a very, very dangerous road by doing this,' Chestnut said. 'We're going to get cookie cuter justice across this state and it's not going to be good for the defendants or the victims.' Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said minors should be given a second chance. 'I can't help but think about some juveniles I've worked with and counseled. In dealing with these kids, most of their actions are done with ego and at the moment,' Warren said. 'They have an opportunity to go back and rethink what they've done.' Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, offered an amendment that would limit the legislation to apply only to those charged with intentional murder. 'This would limit the number of folks that were involved in the initial confrontation or incident to the person that was actually killing the other person,' England said. The amendment was adopted 99-0. The bill moves to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House panel passes bill to mandate that some teens are prosecuted as adults in murder cases
Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, discusses a bill to cap property tax increases on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 9, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. He sponsored a bill that requires minors who commit murder or capital murder to be tried as adults. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that requires the court to prosecute people age 16 and older as adults when they are charged with murder. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved HB 146 — sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen — which would prohibit a judge from granting youthful offender status to minors who are at least 16-years-old at the time of the offense if they are charged with murder. The current statute states that individuals who are younger than 19 may be tried as youthful offenders. 'If they are charged with murder, under this bill they would not be eligible to be a youthful offender,' Pettus told members of the committee during the meeting. 'This only has to do if they are charged. They have to be charged with murder for this to kick in.' Pettus said his legislation leaves the court process largely untouched. Defendants would still proceed through a trial if they choose. Democrats on the committee were united against the legislation and voted against it. Some raised concerns with separation of powers, because typically, the judge has the discretion to determine eligibility for youthful offender status. 'Now we are making it where we are taking it all out of the judge's hand about making the decision,' said Rep. Tashina Morris, D-Montgomery. Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville had the same concerns. 'You are really talking about the judicial branch, what they can and cannot do,' he said. 'You are legislating this.' The legislation shifts the decision away from the judge to prosecutors who determine charges. Some lawmakers asked how the bill would affect those who became entangled in the actions of another person. 'One person murdered someone, but there were four people in the car,' said Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika. 'Usually when that happens, they all get charged with murder, right? I have seen it plenty of times.'
