Isaiah Sweet is a convicted murderer who killed his grandparents, Richard and Janet Sweet, in 2012, when he was 17 years old. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, he later won a landmark case in the Iowa Supreme Court that banned life without parole for juvenile offenders. This article will provide a brief overview of his life, crimes, and legal battles.
Early Life and Background
Isaiah Sweet was born in 1995 and grew up in Manchester, Iowa. He was raised by his grandparents, who became his legal guardians when he was four years old. His mother was a drug addict who abandoned him, and his father was in prison for domestic abuse. According to Sweet, his grandfather was verbally abusive and “made his life a living hell”. He also claimed that his grandfather sexually abused him, although this was never proven. Sweet had a history of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He also had a history of substance abuse, including alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs. He dropped out of high school in his sophomore year and had several run-ins with the law.
The Murders
On May 11, 2012, Sweet shot and killed his grandparents with an assault rifle in their living room. He then stole their car and drove to Iowa City, where he partied with friends and sold some of their belongings. He also showed a friend a television that was near the bodies of his grandparents. He was arrested two days later, after he confessed to the murders to another friend, who alerted the police. Sweet told the police that he killed his grandparents because he hated them and wanted to be free. He also said that he planned the murders for months and had no remorse.
The Trial and Sentencing
Sweet pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in 2013 and faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, his defense team argued that such a sentence was unconstitutional for a juvenile offender, citing a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that banned mandatory life without parole for juveniles who committed homicide. They also presented evidence of Sweet’s troubled background, mental health issues, and potential for rehabilitation. The prosecution argued that Sweet was a cold-blooded killer who deserved the harshest punishment. In 2014, District Judge Michael Shubatt sentenced Sweet to life in prison without the possibility of parole, saying that he was “extremely dangerous” and unlikely to be rehabilitated.
The Appeal and Resentencing
Sweet appealed his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court, which agreed to hear his case in 2015. In 2016, the court ruled that juveniles who are convicted of murder cannot be given life sentences with no chance of parole, calling it a cruel and unusual punishment. The court said that such sentences violated the Iowa Constitution, which prohibits disproportionate punishments and requires individualized sentencing. The court also said that juveniles are different from adults in terms of brain development, maturity, and susceptibility to change. The court ordered that Sweet and other juvenile lifers be resentenced with the possibility of parole. Later that year, Sweet was resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He is currently serving his sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.
The Parole Hearing
In 2018, Sweet had his first parole hearing, where he was denied parole by the Iowa Board of Parole. The board said that Sweet had made “a fairly good start” in his four years in prison by earning a career readiness certificate and completing some rehabilitative programs. However, the board agreed with the Department of Corrections, which recommended that Sweet not be released. The board said that Sweet needed more time to make the kind of changes that would make him eligible for parole. Sweet’s case will be reviewed on an annual basis going forward.
Conclusion
Isaiah Sweet is a notorious figure in Iowa’s criminal justice system, as he is one of the few juvenile offenders who have been convicted of killing their grandparents. He is also one of the few juvenile offenders who have challenged their life without parole sentences and won a landmark case in the Iowa Supreme Court. His case has sparked a debate over the appropriate punishment and rehabilitation for juvenile offenders who commit serious crimes. His case also raises questions about the role of childhood trauma, mental health, and brain development in criminal behavior. Isaiah Sweet Wikipedia is a source of information and controversy for anyone interested in these issues.
