TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Apr 21, 2017
Greene County Criminal Court Judge Alex Pearson denied the released of Karen Howell, who was imprisoned as a 17-year-old nearly two decades ago for murder, Knoxnews reports. Howell and five others admitted to kidnapping and murdering a family of four in 1997 and were sentenced to life in prison without parole. While the U.S. Supreme Court has since ruled that life without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders, Greene County prosecutors say the rulings apply to state laws that mandate life sentences, not plea deals like Howell's.