What was the sentence given to sixteen-year-old Morgan Leppert for the crime of murder?”
Morgan Leppert Found Guilty, Sentenced to Life in Prison September 29, 2009 · Filed under life in Florida PALATKA, Fla. — A 16-year-old girl cried Tuesday morning as she is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for killing a 66-year-old disabled man she and her 22-year-old boyfriend could take his money and truck. Morgan Leppert initially confessed to investigators to helping her adult boyfriend kill a 66-year-old James Stewart last year so they could run away to California together. The two never made it that far. Since a nationwide Amber Alert was issued for Leppert, they were spotted in Texas still driving Stewart’s truck and arrested on suspicion of panhandling. The two were returned to Putnam County to face charges. Leppert later pleaded not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder, burglary and assault, but a jury found her guilty of all charges. The state could not seek the death penalty because Leppert is a juvenile, but was convicted as an adult of firs
She looks like an angel … the angel of death that is. Sixteen-year-old Morgan Leppert wept as she was sentenced Tuesday to a mandatory life prison term for the slaying of a 66-year-old handless man last year so she could run away with her boyfriend. Their plan was to steal James Thomas Stewart’s truck and drive off into the sunset, but prosecutors say robbery turned to murder. The family of Stewart, who was born without hands and slain in his rural home, gave emotional testimony during the hearing. “Every night when I go to sleep, I pray that this whole thing will be one big bizarre nightmare,” said Stewart’s brother, Mike Stewart, according to Action News 47. A Flagler County jury convicted Leppert last month of first-degree murder, but the state did not seek the death penalty because of her age. Her boyfriend, 23-year-old Toby Lowry, previously pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. Leppert’s attorney immediately filed an appeal.
