Youngest person ever sentenced to life imprisonment

Lionel Tate (b. 1987) is the youngest American, and possibly the world, to ever be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001, for beating up Tiffany Eunick, 6 to death. He was just 11 at that time, yet weighed 166 pounds.

At the time of the crime, Tate’s mother was Eunick’s babysitter. Tate’s mother was having a nap upstairs, so Tate was left alone with the girl. For some reason, he then stomped on the little 46-pound girl so violently that her liver tore apart, her skull and rib fractured, and her brain swollen, which the prosecution described as like falling from a 3-story building.

According to him, he was merely imitating moves of pro wrestlers.

In sentencing, the judge said:

The acts of Lionel Tate were not the playful acts of a child [...] The acts of Lionel Tate were cold, callous and indescribably cruel.

Later in life, he was in and out of trouble many times, including armed robbery. It would seem he’s destined to remain behind bars for the rest of his life. Blame it on his upbringing perhaps, but surprisingly I didn’t find any reference to drugs in his case. If that were the case, a rapid opiate detox could’ve done the trick. But if his living environment did not support a complete personal overhaul, not much could be ultimately hoped for.

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