Juvenile lifer seeks reprieve amid broader push for leniency

Published April 9, 2022 9:09 AM

By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Attorneys for an Arizona man who was sentenced to life in federal prison for crimes he committed as a juvenile are pushing for his time to be cut short. The U.S. Supreme Court made that possible in a 2012 ruling that said only the rare, irredeemable juvenile offender should spend life in prison. Riley Briones Jr. was convicted of murder and other gang-related crimes on the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community in the 1990s. His attorneys say he got his GED, ministers to other inmates and has a spotless disciplinary record. Federal prosecutors have said he should remain imprisoned, arguing he’s minimized his role in crimes that terrorized the reservation.

Article Topic Follows: AP New Mexico

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