Decision opens door to reduced sentences for Miami-Dade juvenile killers

Source: Miami Herald

Several high-profile Miami-Dade defendants once sent to prison for life may get a chance at early freedom after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the juvenile killers are entitled to a “judicial review” of their sentences after 25 years.

The decision has immediate consequences for convicts such as Michael Hernandez, who was just 14 when he viciously stabbed a classmate to death at Southwood Middle School in 2004.

Hernandez, originally shipped to prison for life for the brutal killing, is slated to begin a new sentencing hearing in August.

Under the Supreme Court’s decision this week, a court must now sentence Hernandez to at least 40 years in prison. But after 25 years, a judge could decide to “modify” the term if Hernandez has rehabilitated himself.

“That’s real good news,” his father, Jesus Hernandez, said when told of the ruling. “We’re trying to get our son the help he needs. Certainly, it gives us hope. That’s what we’re looking for.”

The parents of Jaime Gough, the 14-year-old slain inside the Southwood campus bathroom, said they were concerned with the ruling.

“I think this kid is a danger to society,” said father Jorge Gough. “I’m trusting the system. I’m trusting the judge will make the right decisions whenever that times comes. Whatever is decided, nothing is going to bring back our son.”



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