Ronald Bell was two months shy of 18 on Feb. 2-3, 1999, when he and two co-defendants tortured Richards for “between eight and 10 hours” by chaining him to a tree, beating him with a bat, lighting him on fire and finally slitting his throat, a court document states. Kristel Maestas, 16, and her 15-year-old friend Renee Lincks were also sentenced to prison time for their roles in the murder. A jury unanimously recommended the death sentence for Bell on March 18, 2000, after convicting him of first-degree murder and armed kidnapping. That sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole in 2003 because Bell was not 18 when the crime was committed. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in March 2015 that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Later that same year Florida lawmakers restructured juvenile sentencing guidelines to meet legal requirements.

<p>Ronald Bell was two months shy of 18 on Feb. 2-3, 1999, when he and two co-defendants tortured Richards for &ldquo;between eight and 10 hours&rdquo; by chaining him to a tree, beating him with a bat, lighting him on fire and finally slitting his throat, a court document states. Kristel Maestas, 16, and her 15-year-old friend Renee Lincks were also sentenced to prison time for their roles in the murder. A jury unanimously recommended the death sentence for Bell on March 18, 2000, after convicting him of first-degree murder and armed kidnapping. That sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole in 2003 because Bell was not 18 when the crime was committed. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in March 2015 that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Later that same year Florida lawmakers restructured juvenile sentencing guidelines to meet legal requirements.</p>

A collection of interviews, news actualities and press conferences from the Northwest Florida Daily News.

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