Supreme Court Rejects Boy Killer's Appeal

He claims drugs made him shoot grandparents
By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2008 7:55 PM CDT
Supreme Court Rejects Boy Killer's Appeal
The Supreme Court decided today not to hear the appeal of Christopher Pittman's 30 year sentence. Pittman killed his grandparents with a shotgun at age 12, and then burned down their house.   (AP Photo/The Rock Hill Herald, Jim Stratakos, File)

The Supreme Court refused today to let a teenage boy appeal his 30-year sentence for double-murder, CNN reports. Christopher Pittman, who was tried as an adult in South Carolina 3 years ago, is serving the longest sentence ever for someone his age—and blames antidepressants for inspiring him to kill his grandparents and set their house ablaze at the age of 12.

Paxil, which Pittman was taking, is no longer recommended for minors and carries a suicidal behavior warning. But a prosecutor has called Pittman's crime "as malicious a murder as you're ever going to find" and jurors spent only one day deliberating. The Supreme Court declined the appeal without comment. (More murder trial stories.)

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