A 14-year-old who pleaded guilty to felony murder is facing a maximum of 30 months in state custody due to Connecticut law.
According to a warrant News 12 obtained, during the course of the homicide investigation, the juvenile was also named a suspect in a non-fatal shooting in May. Due to a 2015 law change, this homicide case remained in juvenile court.
The maximum time he can spend incarcerated is 30 months.
Stamford police say the most difficult thing about this case is explaining to the victim's family Connecticut law when it comes to juvenile's, especially as this teen was arrested at least six times prior for violent crimes.
The 14-year-old is facing a felony murder charge along with two others - a 16-year-old and a 23-year-old.
An officer who worked on the case, tells News 12 the law is frustrating for them and the victim's family.
"I think it's a loophole in the law and I think in this particular case, I think it's evident that only 18 months with the potential of up to 30 months, if the court agrees, is still not very much time for being responsible for taking someone's life," said Stamford Sgt. Jennifer Lynch.
Some state Democratic lawmakers say long prison sentences are not the answer for juveniles caught in an endless cycle of trouble.
"If the young person had been sentenced to a life prison term without parole, frankly two lives, not just one would be lost on that horrible day," said state Sen. Will Haskell.
Haskell believes the state can do better to educate juveniles behind bars, while Stamford police say they would like the law re-examined.
"As a department I think we're frustrated and I think we would like to see some type of change to the law," said Lynch.
Once the teen is released, the state's attorney's office says if he is not convicted of any offense for at least four years following the completion of his sentence, he can petition the court to have his record expunged.