KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A man given life in prison as a 17-year-old may be able to leave custody in 26 years after a judge resentenced him Wednesday.
Odies Arday Murray, now 33, was convicted in 2008 of murder, assault with intent to commit murder and two counts of felony firearms after he shot a man in the jaw during a fight over a slush drink, officials said.
He was resentenced to 40 to 60 years, receiving credit for the years served so far, said Jeffrey Williams, the chief Kalamazoo County assistant prosecuting attorney. Murray may become eligible for parole in 2048.
He was resentenced because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that life sentences for juveniles constituted cruel and unusual punishment and they should not receive mandatory life sentences because of developmental differences in the brain.
Murray will be eligible for parole after serving 40 years, Williams said.
Kalamazoo County Circuit Chief Judge Gary Giguere Jr., who presided over Murray's original trial, delivered his new sentence.
Murray was convicted in the Aug. 27, 2007, shootings of Tyres Sykes, 19, and Walter Revera, 31, in Kalamazoo.
Murray said he takes full responsibility for his actions and apologized to the families during the resentencing.
"I did a terrible thing,," Murray said.
