JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thomas Partlow was 16 years old in January 2010 when he and two other teens jumped 49-year-old Grady Williamson.
Later that year, Partlow was convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing Williamson to death in order to get some gas money. Police said they walked away with $3.
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Partlow was then sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Gibson Wright III, 17, and Marvin Clark, 15, each pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery in July. Wright was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Clark received a 25-year sentence.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that anyone under age 18 can’t be sentenced to life without parole. In 2013, the 1st District Court of Appeals upheld the conviction but threw out Partlow’s sentence and ordered a new sentencing hearing. The process bogged down to the point where Partlow wrote a letter to the judge in 2016 asking when the hearing will be held.
Partlow, now 27, was just brought from state prison to the Duval County jail and court records show there’s a status hearing in his case set for next week.
The First District Court of Appeals did not offer any guidance as to what sentence Partlow should receive for the murder conviction.