The men, who were convicted in the abduction and murder of Matthew Landry--and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole--will be getting a second chance at freedom today.

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The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ihab Maslamani and Robert Taylor were both minors when they abducted, robbed and killed Landry five years ago.  But due to a U. S. Supreme Court ruling, the two men who are now in their 20's, will undergo a hearing to determine if the no-parole sentencing was appropriate.

Landry was abducted outside of an Eastpoint sandwich shop in August, 2009.  Police say he was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Maslamani and Taylor were convicted a year later for first degree murder and sentenced to life behind bars.

A hearing set for today and tomorrow in Macomb County Circuit Court will take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the crime and whether the punishment was appropriate given the ages of the defendants who were juveniles at the time.

Past criminal history is likely to come into play.  Maslamani was also convicted of an armed bank robbery and a botched carjacking after Landry's murder.

Taylor had no criminal past but was just 4 months away from turning 18 at the time of the crime.

Landry's body was found inside of a burned-out building several days after he went missing.  Police say he was shot execution-style.

Prosecutors say they are confident they'll be able to hit the bar of evidence that the men were sentenced appropriately and will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Join Jo Anne Paul weekdays for news updates on 99.1 WFMK-FM, 100.7 WITL-FM and 1240 WJIM-AM and the other stations of the Michigan Talk Network
joanne.paul@townsquaremedia.com

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