Murderer to get new sentence – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2014-09-03

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Murderer to get new sentence By The Associated Press Sep 03, 2014 12:00 AM A A BEND — A defendant in the 2001 Redmond Five murder case will return to a Central Oregon courtroom in April to be sentenced again. Justin Link, now, 31, was serving life without the possibility of parole for killing Barbara Thomas, 52, of Redmond. The Oregon Supreme Court has reduced the number of aggravated murder convictions he faces and ruled he’s entitled to a new sentencing hearing. On Tuesday, Judge Alta Brady scheduled it to begin April 21. Link was among five teenagers, including the son of Thomas, convicted in the case. The Bend Bulletin reports that his lawyers will seek a lighter sentence, citing a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said mandatory life sentences without the possibility for parole are cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles.