SUMTER, S.C. (AP) – A 56-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of stealing $900 worth of cigarettes while acting as his own attorney.
Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III told The Sumter Item
Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III told The Sumter Item
that David Duren Jr. fell under South Carolina’s three-strikes law, which allows a life sentence when someone is convicted of three serious crimes.
Duren was found guilty of second-degree burglary last week. He had been assigned two public defenders.
Finney says his prosecutors offered Duren a plea deal that would have sentenced him to no more than 15 years behind bars, but he rejected it.
Authorities say Duren broke in a store through the back wall in June 2011. He was linked to the crime through DNA from blood found on a freezer.
Finney says his prosecutors offered Duren a plea deal that would have sentenced him to no more than 15 years behind bars, but he rejected it.
Authorities say Duren broke in a store through the back wall in June 2011. He was linked to the crime through DNA from blood found on a freezer.
