DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says two Des Moines men who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for murders committed when they were teenagers must stay behind bars. James Dorsey and Fernando Sandoval have been trying for decades to have their convictions and sentences overturned. This time lawyers argued that their clients should not have been tried as adults because the crimes were committed when they were 18 and 19 years old. State law states that once someone turns 18 they face the full penalties prescribed by law. Justice Christopher McDonald, who wrote both majority opinions, acknowledges that the 18th birthday might be an arbitrary place to draw a line, but said a line must be drawn somewhere.
