Eddings v. Oklahoma
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2018
Department/School
Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
Publication Title
The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
Abstract
The Eddings v. Oklahoma case was the first time in which the United States Supreme Court heard a case on the death penalty for juveniles. The offender, Monty Lee Eddings, was 16 years old when he shot a highway patrolman who had stopped him for momentarily losing control of his vehicle as he was running away from home. Eddings was waived and tried in adult court. He plead guilty to the murder of Officer Crabtree. During the sentencing hearing, the trial judge determined that the state had proved the existence of three aggravating circumstances to the homicide. The judge only acknowledged Eddings's youthful age as a mitigating circumstance and refused to give any consideration to his turbulent family history and emotional disturbances. As a result, Eddings was sentenced to death. The opinion was upheld upon appeal. Later, the US Supreme Court reversed and remanded the case because it was found that the defendant's Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights had been violated when the trial judge gave no weight or consideration to the full body of mitigating evidence.
Recommended Citation
Sellers, B. G. (2018). Eddings v. Oklahoma. In C. J. Schreck (Ed.), The encyclopedia of juvenile delinquency and justice. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118524275.ejdj0034
Comments
B. G. Sellers is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology.