A judge has rejected a defense lawyer's double-jeopardy claim and has sentenced a Flint man to life in prison without parole for the robbery-slayings of a 15-year-old girl and a 27-year-old marijuana dealer.
Stanley Smith Jr.'s sentencing was postponed while a judge considered whether a jury verdict last month convicting Smith of both first- and second-degree murder amounted to double jeopardy for a single crime. Genesee County Circuit Judge Geoffrey decided it didn't and issued the mandatory sentence Thursday under Michigan's first-degree murder law.
Prosecutors say Smith fatally shot 15-year-old Porsche Turner and 27-year-old Martarien Wilson in November 2010.
Authorities say Smith and Delante Russell planned to rob Wilson, a marijuana dealer. Russell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob in a deal with prosecutors and testified against Smith.
