The release of Aaron Schmidt raises serious questions about the integrity of the country’s legal system.
When he was just fourteen, he was accused of the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
According to the court documents, Schmidt meticulously planned the murder over several weeks and stole a gun from the victim’s father.
On the day of the murder, he approached the victim from behind while she was using her phone and shot her in the back of the head, resulting in her immediate death.
In 2013, law enforcement and the court found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of bail or parole.
Subsequently, in 2020, he received a resentencing hearing, which reduced his prison term.
Aaron Schmidt Homicide Case
The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of a Columbia County boy who killed his 14-year-old neighbor in Harlem and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
In January 2011, Schmidt fatally murdered his friend and former girlfriend, Alana Calahan, at her residence.
Lacy Aaron Schmidt was found guilty of felony murder while committing an aggravated assault, malice murder, possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime, and theft by taking a handgun in February 2012.
According to the prosecution, Lacy Aaron Schmidt premeditated the shooting and had stolen the firearm from Alana’s father.
They claim he shot the Harlem Middle School girl in the back of the head as she posted images to Facebook and then carried her body to the woods behind the house to hide the crime.
Aaron Schmidt received a life sentence.
Schmidt appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, claiming that the judge had failed to inform the jury, and that his defense attorney was incompetent, and that the penalty he received was an example of “cruel and unusual punishment.”
However, the highest court rejected all of his claims.
In the opinion of the presiding justice, the evidence “was sufficient to permit a rational trier of fact to find Aaron Schmidt guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for the offenses for which he was sentenced.”
Aaron Schmidt’s Initial Sentence
Aaron Schmidt was charged with second-degree murder, which led to a life sentence in prison due to his connection to other offenses related to the crime. The court concluded that he posed a threat to society.
Schmidt expressed remorse for his actions and accepted responsibility for his past behavior.
Aaron Schmidt’s Resentencing
Schmidt sought an appeal with the Georgia Supreme Court, alleging legal errors by the court and his attorney, and condemning his sentence as cruel and unusual punishment.
His appeals were rejected, and his conviction and punishment were upheld by the court.
