SJC: Rules Sentence For Man Convicted Of 3 Killings As Teen Is Fair

BOSTON (AP) — The state's highest court has upheld the sentence of a Massachusetts man who at age 17 was convicted of raping and murdering a woman and drowning her two young children in a bathtub.

The Supreme Judicial Court's unanimous ruling Thursday means Daniel LaPlante will likely remain behind bars until he's at least 62.

LaPlante was originally sentenced to three life sentences without parole for the 1987 killings of his neighbor, 33-year-old Priscilla Gustafson, her 7-year-old daughter Abigail and 5-year-old son William.

After the SJC ruled it was unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life with no possibility of parole, a judge resentenced LaPlante to make him eligible for parole after 45 years.

In March, LaPlante's attorney argued his client should have a "meaningful" chance for parole now or in the nearer future.

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