The appellate record for rapists under age 15 is almost nonexistent , say legal experts consulted by CNN . Wanted for a crime committed at 13 , Joe Sullivan goes to Supreme Court . He is serving life without parole for murder and the rape of a 72-year - old woman . Defense attorneys say punishment for Sullivan , now 33 , was too harsh . The Supreme Court is expected to decide Monday if it will hear the case .
Wanted for a crime committed at 13 , Joe Sullivan goes to Supreme Court . He is serving life without parole for murder and the rape of a 72-year - old woman . Defense attorneys say punishment for Sullivan , now 33 , was too harsh . The Supreme Court is expected to decide Monday if it will hear the case .