Brandon Hein

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Brandon Wade Hein is a convicted felon currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment without possibility of parole plus four years for his presence at the 1995 stabbing murder of 16 year-old Jimmy Farris, the son of an LAPD police detective.

Hein and two others who were present when the murder was committed were charged, along with actual murderer Jason Holland, with felony murder because the murder took place during the course of a felony – the attempted robbery of marijuana kept for sale by Farris's friend, Michael McLoren. Under the felony murder rule, any participant in a felony is criminally responsible for any deaths that occur during, or in furtherance of, that felony.

Hein's conviction has courted much controversy, as some feel that the life sentence was overly harsh and politically motivated, while others feel that Hein's presence at the murder justified the sentence.

Contents 1 The Trial 2 Supporters 3 Current status 4 External links 5 Sources

[edit] The Trial

The murder and trial that followed shocked and polarized the small town of Agoura Hills, an otherwise peaceful suburb northwest of Los Angeles, California, and attracted international attention.

A California state law permitted Hein to be charged with murder in the first degree with special circumstances. A jury in the county criminal court in Malibu found Hein, as well as several others who were present, guilty. Judge Lawrence Mira presided over the trial.

[edit] Supporters

Brandon's case has attracted international attention and support, due largely to media coverage and what some feel was a violation of international law, as Brandon was only 17 at the time of the murder. Filmmaker William Gazecki has made a documentary called "Reckless Indifference" about his situation, and Charles Grodin has produced a play on the subject entitled "The Prosecution of Brandon Hein". Many others have written letters to Judge Mira and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (who has the power to commute or pardon the sentence) to persuade them to pursue a lesser sentence, including former Los Angeles Police Chief Willie Williams.[1]

[edit] Current status

Hein remains incarcerated at California Correctional Instution in Tehachapi, California, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. He has been imprisoned for 10 years.

[edit] External links

• Brandon Hein's web site

[edit] Sources

• Life In Prison: Felony Murder, CBS, Jan. 29, 2003
• Appeals underway in local murder case, The Acorn, December 14, 2000
• Dad holds hope for imprisoned son, LA Times, November 17, 2006