ATLANTA - The criminals who hold the record for the longest prison sentence in Georgia aren't murderers or rapists but a pair of freshly convicted armed robbers from Gwinnett County.
Ryan Brandt, 28, and Jeffrey Kollie, 25, each were sentenced last month to seven consecutive life sentences plus 265 years for a brutal string of armed robberies the lengthiest prison sentences in the state's history.
They are the longest by more than 50 years, according to Georgia Department of Corrections officials.
The sentence, handed down Aug. 16 by Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Debra Turner, was applauded by some as a way to keep dangerous criminals locked up. Others say it was excessive when prisons are filled with even more serious offenders.
Georgia public defender Adam Levin criticized the sentence in his legal blog.
``The sentence is unduly harsh,'' Levin wrote. ``To shut off all sense of hope for two men who did not kill or rape will do more harm than good. They will rot in prison at a substantial cost to taxpayers, who will never see a return on that expense.''
Others disagree, even Lawrence Lewis, a Lawrenceville defense attorney who initially worked on the case.
``Anybody who knows the facts of the case would never say the sentence was too harsh,'' said Lewis, who was fired by Kollie when the two disagreed about seeking a plea offer.
Before the trial, the armed robbers turned down a plea deal that would have given them 40 years in prison, the district attorney's office said.
``I wasn't surprised with the sentence,'' said assistant district attorney Lisa Jones, who handled the case. ``I know that sounds strange because it is a record-breaking sentence. ... (But) throughout the trial they showed no remorse.''
Turner is known in Gwinnett County for handing out tough sentences. She did not return telephone calls from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution seeking comment. Wystan Getz, who represented Kollie during the trial, said he did not have a problem with the sentence.
``I would be upset if my client did not get a fair trial,'' he said. ``Judge Turner was very fair and evenhanded during the trial.''
Gwinnett attorney Rick Stepp, representing Kollie on an appeal of the conviction, said the long sentence may be part of his appeal.
``A sentence like that has to be scrutinized,'' he said, ``because that sentence is a humdinger.''
Friday
May 3rd, 2024
10:55AM
