David Angel answers “Why is she serving two life sentences if...”

Eva asked this question about The Mars Room:

Why is she serving two life sentences if she only killed one person?

David Angel Hi, I really loved this book. That having been said, I've been a prosecutor in California for over twenty years, and this sentence makes no sense to m…moreHi, I really loved this book. That having been said, I've been a prosecutor in California for over twenty years, and this sentence makes no sense to me. A first degree murder carries a sentence of 25-life, meaning that she would be eligible for parole in 25 years. If you murder more than one person you can get a 50 to life sentence. If it was a so called "special circumstances" murder (which does not appear to be the case here), she could get Life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). So, on the one hand the sentence doesn't make a lot of sense. That having been said, one theme of this novel is that people are often not accurate in either their memories or what they tell you about their past. This is especially true when they are talking about something that is both traumatizing and puts them in a bad life. It could be this error is intentional in that Romy either doesn't understand her legal case, or she is not willing to share another crime. (less)

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