Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about this wild case out of New Hampshire, where a guy named Robert Tulloch, who was 17 when he and his friend killed a pair of married Dartmouth College professors back in 2001, is getting a chance at parole in about 20 years. I mean, I know the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, but this case is just crazy. Tulloch and his friend, James Parker, came up with a plan to kill strangers, steal their money, and move to Australia – yeah, because that’s exactly what you do when you’re bored with your life in Vermont.
Tulloch’s lawyers reached an agreement with prosecutors, avoiding a three-day resentencing hearing, and he apologized to one of the professors’ daughters, Veronika Zantop, who joined the hearing remotely. She’s a psychiatrist with two sons, and she said she can appreciate that brain functioning can change over time, but she doesn’t believe it’s true for Tulloch, saying he meticulously planned the killings and followed through in a cold, predatory manner. She urged that he stay in prison “for the longest possible sentence.”
The judge, Lawrence MacLeod, resentenced Tulloch to a minimum of 45 years to life, which means he could be considered for parole in 2046 when he’s 62 years old – the same age as one of his victims, Half Zantop. MacLeod said he reviewed the applicable law, the circumstances of Tulloch’s offenses, his conduct while in prison, and Veronika Zantop’s statement. Tulloch’s lawyers asked for a 30-to-40-year minimum sentence, but I guess that didn’t fly.
It’s interesting to note that many states have banned life sentences for juveniles, but New Hampshire hasn’t – yet. The Supreme Court rulings only addressed mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles, leaving the US as the only country that allows discretionary life sentences for minors. Maybe this case will change things, but I’m not holding my breath.
Tulloch’s friend, James Parker, who was 16 at the time of the crime, cooperated with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder. He was released from prison on parole in 2024 at age 40, having served nearly the minimum term of his 25-years-to-life sentence. Parker said during his parole hearing that he thinks what they did was “unimaginably horrible” and that he knows there’s no amount of time or things he can do to change it or alleviate any pain that he’s caused.
In conclusion, this case is just mind-boggling – two teenagers coming up with a plan to kill strangers and steal their money, and then actually carrying it out. It’s a tragedy, and I can only imagine how the victims’ families must feel. As I finish my coffee, I’m left thinking that maybe, just maybe, 45 years to life is a fitting sentence for someone who committed such a heinous crime. And who knows, maybe Tulloch will turn his life around in prison – but I’m not counting on it.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
