Kentucky man convicted of murder as teen to get new sentence
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man serving life without parole for a 1996 double murder he committed as a 16-year-old will be resentenced.
The Bowling Green Daily News reports that the Kentucky Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that says Sophal Phon's sentence was an example of judicial overreach. The ruling says that the Kentucky Revised Statutes do not list life without parole as an option for juveniles convicted of capital crimes.
Phon was the triggerman in a home invasion by the Asian Boyz gang that resulted in the execution-style shooting deaths of Khamphao Phromratsamy and Manyavanh Boonprasert. The couple's 12-year-old daughter was also shot, but survived.