LANSING, Mich. — Emotional, but thankful, Crystal Grigonis praised her older brother after he stepped in when Terrence Lee Taylor, the father of her child, stabbed her multiple times.
“I was stabbed 15 to 20 times throughout my upper body,” Grigonis said.
That happened back in 2001. Grigonis survived, but her older brother Edward died from his injuries.
“He was a good man, such a good man,” she said.
Taylor was four days away from turning 19 when he committed the crime and was originally sentenced to life in prison on a first-degree murder charge. But on Monday, he was resentenced and given 35 to 60 years behind bars.
This came about a year after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that juveniles cannot automatically be sentenced to life in prison.
“It's very hard to hear that he’s going to be out one day,” Grigonis said.
In court, Taylor and his attorney argued that he’s been a “model prisoner” and has rehabilitated, and we talked to one advocate who supports the resentencing movement.
“Myself, I was a 15 year old who got sentenced to adult court,” said Michael Lynn Jr. “So many people said I didn’t have any rehabilitation in me and look where my life has gone since then.”
Since the Michigan Supreme Court ruling, Ingham County has re-sentenced six people who were sentenced to life in prison as juveniles. We’re told all six have been resentenced based on stipulations agreed to by former Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon.
Current Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane released a statement saying, “his office isn’t opposed to life sentences for first-degree murder. However, he respects the court’s decision that automatic life sentences are unconstitutional for 18-year-old offenders and believe a case-by-case analysis under the factors the court set forth is appropriate.”
