Nation IN BRIEF : OHIO : Youth Gets Life Term in Mutilation Slaying
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison for the mutilation slaying of a 5-year-old girl he was baby-sitting. Billy Joe Shafer, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, received the maximum sentence for the slaying of Sara Christine West. Under Ohio law, defendants under age 18 cannot be sentenced to death. He could become eligible for parole in 17 years. The victim’s father, Kevin West, lunged at Shafer as he was being taken to jail in Zanesville, Ohio. “Life isn’t enough. He should be electrocuted,” West said.
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