Related To Story  Zachariah Blanton (pictured) was arrested in connection with the July 23 interstate highway shootings that killed one person and injured another in Indiana. Interstate Sniper Shootings: Stories
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Prosecutor To Seek Life Sentence In Highway Shootings
Law Prohibits Capital Punishment For Crimes Committed As Juvenile
POSTED: 4:13 pm EDT July 27,
2006
BROWNSTOWN, Ind. -- The Jackson County prosecutor will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 17-year-old charged in connection with highway shootings that killed a man and injured another, the prosecutor's office said Thursday.Earlier this week, Prosecutor Stephen Pierson said he was considering seeking the death penalty against Zachariah Blanton. But The Associated Press noted in a report Wednesday that state law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings do not permit executions of those who committed their crimes when they were younger than 18.The prosecutor's office acknowledged Thursday that because Blanton is a minor, he cannot face capital punishment under Indiana law.
Blanton, of Gaston, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of shooting at two vehicles on Interstate 65 near Seymour early Sunday -- killing a New Albany man and leaving an Iowa man with minor injuries -- and two vehicles on I-69, near Muncie in east-central Indiana, about two hours later.Blanton was charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal recklessness and jailed in Jackson County, where the I-65 shootings happened.
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Copyright 2006 by TheIndyChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
