Supreme Court of Missouri / Apr 14, 2020
State of Missouri, Respondent, vs. David M. Barnett, Appellant.
David M. Barnett was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment without parole for first-degree murders committed when he was 19 years old. He appealed, arguing that the sentence violated federal and state prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment, contending that U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence concerning juveniles under 18 should apply to him. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, holding that section 565.020 is constitutional as applied to Barnett. The Court reasoned that Supreme Court precedent explicitly defines a juvenile as an individual younger than 18 years of age for Eighth Amendment sentencing considerations.