Pittman appeal could be heard in Oct.
CHESTER --
The S.C. Supreme Court could hear Christopher Pittman's appeal case
as early as October, according to court officials and lawyers in the
case.
Pittman, now 17, is serving 30 years in prison after he was
convicted in adult court for the 2001 double shotgun killings of his
grandparents, Joy and Joe Frank Pittman, in Chester County when he
was 12 years old.
Andy Vickery, Pittman's lead lawyer who has argued that Pittman
was too young to form criminal intent, said he expects hearings Oct.
3, 4 or 5, but has not received official word.
The case could be heard the first week or third week in October
but is subject to change, said Mark Plowden, spokesman for the S.C.
Attorney General's Office.
Vickery argued at trial that antidepressants caused Pittman to
kill his grandparents.
Prosecutors say Pittman, angry at being disciplined by his
grandparents, plotted and committed the killings and then covered up
the crime by burning down his grandparents' home in rural Chester
County. A jury agreed and convicted Pittman.
The state Supreme Court opted last year to hear the appeal rather
than having the case first heard by the lower S.C. Court of Appeals.
Pittman's lawyers want his release, a new trial or new
sentencing. Several court errors led to unconstitutional punishment,
Vickery said.
Vickery said he is "thrilled with the opportunity" to answer any
questions the five Supreme Court justices may have.
"My focus is on what can I do to help bring justice in this
case," Vickery said.
Plowden declined further comment, but prosecutors have said that
Pittman shouldn't be released or get a new trial.
The decision to try Pittman as an adult and the February 2005
trial broadcast live on Court TV sparked a national debate over the
way juveniles are treated in South Carolina courts. As do many
states, South Carolina allows prosecutors to seek adult trials
against children for severe crimes such as murder. Pittman's 30-year
sentence in adult court was the most lenient he could have received
for two murder convictions. He would have faced a maximum punishment
of jail until age 21 if convicted as a juvenile.
The state Supreme Court hearings are expected to attract
representatives from child advocacy groups who say Pittman should
never have been tried as an adult.
Pittman, who recently received his GED, has been in the custody
of the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice since his arrest.
