- The North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld the life without parole sentence for Tristan Noah Borlase, who was convicted of murdering his parents in 2019.
- A 2-1 decision by the Court of Appeals affirmed Borlase's sentencing on two counts of first-degree murder.
- Bollase reportedly attacked his parents, stabbing and strangling his mother and stabbing his father multiple times.
A life sentence without parole for a young man who killed his parents was upheld Tuesday by a divided North Carolina Court of Appeals panel, which said the trial judge properly considered potential mitigating factors before handing down the sentence.
In a 2-1 decision, the Intermediate State Court of Appeals affirmed Tristan Noah Bollase's sentence. A jury found him guilty in 2022 of two counts of first-degree murder. He was one month shy of turning 18 when he attacked Tanya Maye Borlase and Jeffrey David Borlase in April 2019, authorities said.
Evidence shows the mother was stabbed, strangled and beaten with a blunt object in their Watauga County home, and the father was stabbed multiple times outside the home. His parents punished him earlier that day for a bad report from his high school that suggested he might not graduate, according to Tuesday's ruling. According to the verdict, Bollase tried to cover up his violent acts, including hiding his parents' bodies and trying to clean up the scene. The next day, he was found in Tennessee.
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Bollase was tried in adult court, but because of his age at the time of the crime, the most severe sentence he could receive was life in prison without parole. And the U.S. Supreme Court has said in recent years that procedures must be developed that take into account mitigating circumstances before deciding whether to sentence juveniles to life without parole in such cases.
Borlase tried to cover up his actions by hiding the body and cleaning the crime scene, but it was discovered the next day in Tennessee.
In response, North Carolina law now allows defendants to present evidence regarding several factors related to their youth, including their own immaturity, family pressure, and the likelihood that the defendant would benefit from rehabilitation in prison. We have procedures in place.
Borlase's lawyers argue that Superior Court Judge R. Gregory Horn violated his client's right against cruel and unusual punishment by imposing two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. did. She said Horne was wrong to determine that Bollase's crimes showed irreparable corruption and permanent irreparability in light of the evidence.
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Court of Appeals Judge Chris Dillon wrote the majority opinion that Mr. Horne “exercised his discretion to determine an appropriate penalty. His decision was not arbitrary.” Based on reasoning, “we conclude that his findings are supported by substantial evidence,” it added. . ”
The judge who sentenced Borlase cited Borlase's “evil calculations during the crimes, his lack of sincere remorse for those crimes, his manipulative behavior during and after the crimes, and other actions.” Dillon wrote. Court of Appeals Judge Fred Gore joined the majority opinion, declaring that Borlase received a fair trial.
Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood wrote a dissenting opinion, ordering a new sentencing hearing, citing, in part, Mr. Horne's refusal to consider relevant evidence about family pressure, immaturity and age. He said he was deaf.
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Borlase's lawyer cited his client's unstable relationship with his mother, conflicts over religious views, poor living conditions, and depression and anxiety as factors that were not properly taken into account.
Arrowood wrote that “the majority suggests that the defendant killed his parents because he took their 'car keys and cell phone,'” and barred him from participating in his school's track team. “But the record before us tells a very different story.”
Appeals may be sought to the state supreme court. A law that required judges to hear such divided cases in most circumstances at the request of a legal party was repealed in October.
