U.S. Teen Sentenced In Israel

Samuel Sheinbein was given 24 years in prison in Israel Sunday, for the "thrill killing" of a Maryland teenager. The judge called it "meaningful". Prosecutors in Maryland are calling it an outrage.

So ends a two-year case that strained relations between Israel and the U.S., reports CBS News Correspondent Jesse Schulman. An Israeli court has sentenced 19-year-old Samuel Sheinbein to 24 years in prison for the brutal murder. By Israeli standards, it's a tough sentence.

Under a plea bargain, Sheinbein confessed to hacking a fellow teenager to death and dismembering his body to hide the crime.

He fled to Israel to escape arrest, and escaped extradition to the U.S. by claiming Israeli citizenship. Sheinbein has no connection to Israel, but since his father was born there, he was recognized as a citizen, and under the laws of Israel, citizens cannot be extradited.

That did not sit well with U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Attorney General Janet Reno, who sharply protested to Israel the decision not to send Sheinbein back to the U.S. for trial.

The case has been an embarrassment to Israel. In its wake the Knesset, Israel's parliament, revised the extradition law.

U.S. officials have described the 24-year sentence as too lenient, but Sheinbein's lawyer, David Libai, disagreed. "This is the most severe punishment that has been imposed on a minor who was convicted of murder in Israel," Libai told CBS Radio News.

Nevertheless, Sheinbein would have faced a possible sentence of life imprisonment in the U.S. In Israel, on good behavior, he could serve just 16 years. And since he has already served two, Sheinbein could be free when he is just 33 years old.

There remains one small solace for the victim's family: Sheinbein is still wanted for murder in Maryland. So Even after he's served his Israeli sentence, there will be an international arrest warrant hanging over him for the rest of his life.