Man involved in gruesome 1996 teen beheading case granted reduced sentence, chance for parole
US Supreme Court reevaluated his case, ruling that minors cannot be automatically sentenced to life
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man who was a teenager when he killed and beheaded another Grand Rapids-area teen in 1996 was given a shorter prison sentence Thursday and an opportunity for release.
Federico Cruz, now 44, has been in prison for 27 years as part of a life sentence. He’ll now be eligible for parole after serving 35 years.
Cruz's case was reopened after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minors can't automatically be sentenced to life.
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A man who was involved in a gruesome 1996 teen beheading case has been granted a reduced sentence and chance for parole.
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Cruz was 16 at the time of 17-year-old David Crawford's death, near Sparta. Kent County Judge Mark Trusock said Cruz was mentally ill at the time and has worked to improve himself while in prison.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cruz has apologized for Crawford's death. He said he was abused as a child and believed at the time that he could communicate with demons.
"I feel it is a great risk for this community for you to walk free," Crawford’s sister, Kathryn Crawford, said in court. "I will never forgive you for what you took away from our family."