A man in South Carolina, was sentenced to life in prison for stealing cigarettes. 56-year-old David Duren Jr. of Sumter, has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of stealing $900 worth of cigarettes. Duren acted as his own attorney in court. However, he failed to convince the jury of his innocence. Scoop has more:
Attorney Ernest Finney said that Duren fell under the three strikes law, which allows the sentence of life in prison when someone is convicted of three serious crimes.
Duren was convicted of second-degree burglary. He had been assigned two public defenders, but he decided to represent himself. Finney said that the prosecutors offered Duren a plea agreement that would have sent him to prison for about 15 years, but he refused to take the deal.
Police said that Duren broke into a store through a wall and stole $900 worth of cigarettes. He was linked to the crime through DNA from blood found on a freezer.