LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania man who appealed his sentence in the murder of a teacher when he was a teenager is still facing at least five decades in prison.
Marcus Rutter of Lancaster had appealed his 54- to 109-year sentence in the 2014 killing of 32-year-old Nicole Mathewson, a Brownstown Elementary School teacher.
Rutter, who was 16 at the time of the crime, argued in his appeal that the sentence was essentially a life term, something his plea agreement didn’t allow.
The appeals court rejected that argument but did order him resentenced on the grounds that the maximum term under 2012 law should have been life.
Rutter was resentenced Wednesday to 54 years to life. He’ll be eligible for parole when he is 70. His co-defendant is serving life plus 20 years.
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