Court Decision: Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act Resentencing Granted, Reducing 15 Years to Life Sentence to 14 Years

Supreme Court, Kings County: People v. [redacted]

Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act Resentencing Granted, Reducing 15 Years to Life Sentence to 14 Years

In 2008, our client pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life, based on an incident that occurred when she was 16 years old. Pursuant to the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, convicted felons may seek resentencing if, at the time of the offense, the individual was a victim of domestic violence and was subjected to substantial physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by a member of the family or household. Our client sought such an alternative sentence. She was a victim of domestic violence at the time of the offense and the abuse was a significant contributing factor to her criminal behavior. The court resentenced our client to a prison term of 14 years and 5 years of post-release supervision.

Anna Kou, in conjunction with clinic students at Brooklyn Law School, represented our client