As the loss of a human being inflicts an enormous amount of grief for individuals close to the victim, as well as the fact that the commission of a murder permanently deprives the victim of their existence, most societies have considered it a very serious crime warranting the harshest punishments available.
In 2005, the United States Supreme Court held that offenders under the age of 18 at the time of the murder were exempt from the death penalty under Roper v. Simmons.
In 2012, the United States Supreme Court held in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory sentences of life without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juvenile offenders.
If probation is denied, the following prison terms are used: (Life without parole if any of the following are true: If the defendant was a juvenile, they are given a sentence under California’s three-strikes law) Source:[17] Maximum of 30 years in prison if: -the offender used a deadly weapon or firearm -the victim was a vulnerable person under the care of the offender (a child under 18, elderly person, or disabled adult) -the victim was an on duty police officer or a first responder -the offense was committed during a hit and run Maximum of life without parole if: (eligible for parole after 25 years if the defendant was under 18) the victim was a vulnerable person, under the care of the offender, (a child under 18, elderly person, or disabled adult) an on duty police officer or first responder AND the offender used a deadly weapon or firearm however the maximum enhanced to 30 years in prison if the offense had the intent to facilitate or further terrorism or the offender is a repeat offender.
Aggravated Murder consists of purposely causing the death of another (or unlawful termination of a pregnancy) with prior calculation and design, or purposely causing the death of another under the age of 13, a law enforcement officer, or in the course of committing certain serious felony offenses.