Lawrence Joey Smith was spared a death sentence

Lawrence Joey Smith was spared a death sentence for killing a 17-year-old student. Circuit Judge Lynn Tepper sentenced Smith, 30, to life in prison for killing Robert Crawford in 1999, breaking with a split jury's recommendation that Smith be sentenced to death. In a hearing that lasted about 45 minutes, Tepper read a lengthy order outlining her decision. In part, she concluded Smith did not deserve to die after determing the so-called "aggravators" in the case were outweighed by the "mitigators." Last month, on March 5 (see), a jury voted 7-5 to recommend a death sentence for Smith. Judges typically follow jury recommendations, so Tepper's ruling was somewhat surprising. Smith and co-defendant Faunce Pearce were charged with killing Crawford and shooting his friend, Stephen Tuttle. Tuttle, then 16, survived. The shootings were drug-related.