Judge resentences Denum Null to 75 years for robbery, killing

A judge resentenced Denum Null, convicted of robbing and killing a man when he was 16-years-old, to the same 75-year prison term he was sentenced to in 2011, but this time there is no mandatory minimum before being eligible for parole.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Ian Thornhill said he considered the factors required by the 2012 Miller ruling that banned life sentences for juveniles and made mandatory minimums unconstitutional. Thornhill said according to the law, the sentencing judge has discretion as long as he/she has considered those factors. He told the attorneys his written ruling on the sentencing would be filed after the hearing if they needed further explanation of his ruling.

Null, now 22, was convicted of robbing and killing Kevin Bell, 26, of Cedar Rapids, in 2010. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

The Iowa Supreme Court granted Null's appeal in accordance with the Miller ruling and Iowa law, which vacated the original sentence and it was sent back to the District Court.

Mark Meyer, Null's attorney, argued for a lesser sentence in February. He asked the judge to sentence him to 25 years and to suspend 50 years based on mitigating factors including Null's unstable, dysfunctional home environment. He presented evidence during hearing that indicated Null was younger than his biological age because of how he was raised. He has the capability and talents that can help him mature and be a "productive member of society," Meyer argued.

A Illinois attorney and mitigation specialist also testified about Null's unstable life and how he was more susceptible to negative influences than a normal juvenile.

Null also testified during that hearing about the night he, Gabriel Taylor, and Johven Lee went to Bell's apartment and how he shot Bell. He claimed he didn't intend to shoot him and said there was no plan to rob or kill anybody.