People v. Dillon
Supreme Court of California
668 P.2d 697 (1983)
Relevant factsFree
17-year-old Dillon planned an elaborate robbery of a guarded marijuana farm with classmates, and after hearing what he believed were shotgun blasts and then seeing the armed farm guard approaching with his shotgun pointed at them, panicked and fired nine rapid shots that killed the guard; Dillon was convicted of first-degree felony murder, carrying the mandatory sentence of death or life imprisonment, and appealed.
IssueFree
Whether the imposition of a severe sentence for a felony-murder conviction may violate the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, depending on the defendant's actual culpability in the underlying felony.