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He drowned a 7-year-old girl in a bathtub. The state Supreme Court reversed his sentence

2021-09-26T04:24:28.423Z


Timothy Haag was a 17-year-old teenager when he murdered little Rachel Dillard in Washington in 1994. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but the Court has determined that the sentence was excessive for his age.


In 1994, as a teenager, Timothy Haag viciously murdered his 7-year-old neighbor, Rachel Dillard.

Police found the girl dead just hours after she was reported missing in the city of Longview, Washington.

She lay under Haag's bed, partially undressed, with her hands and feet bound and her head stuffed in a bag.

Haag, who was 17, had strangled and drowned her in a bathtub.

The prosecutor assigned to the case, Doug Boole, decided to try the teenager as an adult.

And in January 1995, he was sentenced to life without parole.

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Haag said at the time that he had killed the girl as a lesson to her parents, who claimed they were mistreating Rachel's brother, Alex Anderson.

Later, he admitted that he was in love with this one, who was his friend.

But in 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders were unconstitutional.

As a consequence, in 2018 Haag was sentenced to 46 years in prison, with the possibility of being released at the age of 63.

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However, this Friday the Washington Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the judge in charge of that sentence, Michael Evans,

did not properly weigh the evidence about Haag's rehabilitation behind bars

, including his good behavior, his graduation from high school, as well. like his work in the prison chapel and kitchen.

Most of the judges also argued that imposing a 46-year sentence on a minor deprives him of any opportunity to reintegrate into society.

The decision is part of a trend in the American legal system that shows the will to treat criminal children differently from adults.

Prosecutors want Haag to receive a minimum sentence of 60 years, while his defense attorneys have proposed a minimum sentence of 25 years.

If the judge rules in favor of the defense, Haag, who has been incarcerated since 1995, would be eligible for parole in a relatively short period of time.

A decision is expected to be ready on January 19, 2022.

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During the hearing on Friday, a psychologist brought in by the defense testified that the murder was due to an isolated psychotic episode and that Haag has matured during his 23 years in prison.

"There is nothing I can say to make up for what I did," Haag said as he took the stand, according to a note from The Daily News of Longview.

"I hate myself for that."

He also apologized to the victim's family and said that he is trying to be a better person.

H

But Haag's resentment did not satisfy the victim's relatives.

Rachel's brother Alex Anderson said the decision had been "extremely heartbreaking."

"I am being forced to relive all my worst nightmares at once," he

told local television network KOIN 6 News.

"He wanted the death penalty, but they couldn't give it to him," he added.

In his opinion, life in prison without parole meant just that.

But he believes that this new sentence does not bring justice for the murder of his sister.


Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-09-26

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