This is an old revision of this page, as edited by GregJackP (talk | contribs) at 20:55, 2 February 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 20:55, 2 February 2010 by GregJackP (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Template:New unreviewed article
Sara Jessimy Kruzan is a convicted murderer, victim of human trafficking and inmate of Central California Women's Facility, Chowchilla. In 1994, at the age of 16, she was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after being convicted of murdering her abusive pimp, George Gilbert Howard.
Early Life
Kruzan grew up in Moreno Valley, Riverside, California with her abusive, drug addict mother, where she was an honour roll student at school. During her childhood she met her father only three times because he was serving long prison terms. Since the age of 9, Kruzan has suffered from severe depression, being hospitalised because of the condition on a number of occasions.
At the age of 11, she met 31 year old Howard, calling himself "G.G.", who began grooming her for a life of prostitution. By the age of 13, Kruzan became a victim of human trafficking, forced to work as a prostitute for the next three years, and continually subjected to sexual abuse.
Murder of George Gilbert Howard
A week before the killing she had moved into a house in the Rubidoux area belonging to convicted felon and suspected drugs dealer, James Earl Hamilton. Kruzan arranged to meet Howard on March 9 for a date and agreed to spend the night with him. On March 10, Kruzan shot Howard in the neck at close range in a room at the Dynasty Suites Motel. She then took $1,500 from his wallet, as well as the keys to his Jaguar car and went to meet Hamilton and her then boyfriend Johnny Otis in a local supermarket. Her identification card and purse had been left in the motel room and were later found by the chamber maid who discovered Howard's body. Kruzan told the police four days later and admitted her guilt on the defence stand. During her trial she confessed that she had killed Howard because Hamilton had ordered it and had threatened to kill both her and her mother if she didn't carry out his orders.
Arrest and Trial
Kruzan was arrested in Pomona on March 14 as a result, Defence Attorney, David Gunn, told the court, of information provided to the police by Hamilton. Neither Hamilton nor Otis were charged with the crime due to a lack of legally sufficient corroborating evidence to support Kruzan's statement.
After her arrest the District Attorney of Riverside County opted to ignore the extenuating circumstances surrounding Kruzan's actions, and sought to have her tried in an adult court for first degree murder. An evaluation by California Youth Authority concluded she was amenable to treatment in the juvenile justice system. However, a local judge, at the urging of the prosecutor, Tim Freer, transferred her to the adult court. In his closing arguments at her trial, Freer cautioned jurors not to be swayed by the appearance of an attractive, petite teenager who may not fit their image of a murderer.
On Thursday May 11 1995, a Riverside Superior Court jury of seven women and five men found her guilty of First-Degree murder affirming two special circumstances - that Howard was murdered during a robbery, and that Kruzan had been lying in wait to kill him - to justify a no-parole life term. Judge J. Thompson Hanks described her crime as 'well thought out', stating that 'what is striking about this is the lack of moral scruple' before sentencing her to life without parole.
In reaction to this case Democratic Senator, Leyland Yee of San Francisco stated, "Life without parole means absolutely no opportunity for release... It also means minors are often left without access to programs and rehabilitative services while in prison. This sentence was created for the worst of criminals that have no possibility of reform and it is not a humane way to handle children. While the crimes they committed caused undeniable suffering, these youth offenders are not the worst of the worst.”
Campaigning Groups
Some campaigning groups have suggested that Kruzan was suffering from Battered Person Syndrome, a physical and psychological condition that often results in victims of abuse murdering their abusers. The US has been criticised by judicial reform groups, such as the National Center for Youth Law, for the frequency with which it sentences juveniles to life without parole, with Kruzan often mentioned as an example of the need for greater compassion. In February 2009, Human Rights Watch released a viral video on YouTube to highlight the need for a ban on sentences of life without parole for juveniles in California. The state has the worst racial disparity rate in the US in this area , and, according to Human Rights Watch, there are no persons known to be serving life sentences without parole for crimes committed as children anywhere else in the world.
References
- '16 Year Old Got Life Without Parole for Killing Her Abusive Pimp. Should Teens be Condemned to Die in Jail?' Liliana Segura (October 31 2009, AlterNet)
- 'Girl Sentenced to Life Term Without Parole for Killing' Mike Kataoka (September 29, 1995, The Press Enterprise)
- 'Jury Given Two Viewsof Teen' Mike Kataoka (May 11 1995, The Press Enterprise)
- 'U.S. Among Harshest for Sentencing Children' Danile Macallair (January 20 2008, San Francisco Chronicle)
- 'Girl Guilty of Killing Pimp in Motel' Mike Kataoka (May 12, 1995, The Press Enterprise)
- 'New Life for Youth Sentencing Reform' Senator Leland Yee (January 12, 2010)
- 'Life Without Parole is Not the Answer' Matt Kelley (August 25, 2009, change.org)
- 'Support Freedom of Trafficking Victim Sara Kruzan' Michelle Quann, Change.org
- Human Rights Watch, World Report 2010