Resentencing Hearing Begins for Vermont Man Convicted in 2001 Dartmouth Professor Murders

Robert Tulloch, a Vermont man who was 17 at the time of the 2001 stabbing deaths of Dartmouth College professors Half and Susanne Zantop, is seeking a reduction of his life sentence. Now 43, Tulloch is appearing in Grafton County Superior Court this Monday for a resentencing hearing that could potentially grant him eligibility for parole.

Tulloch was originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. However, following a series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that declared mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile offenders unconstitutional, he is now eligible to petition for a revised sentence.

Defense attorneys have requested that the court allow for parole eligibility after 30 to 40 years, arguing that such a term aligns with similar resentencing outcomes for juvenile offenders across the country. Prosecutors have not yet announced their recommended sentencing position. Tulloch is the final inmate in New Hampshire currently serving a life sentence for a crime committed as a minor to undergo this judicial review process.

Contextual Significance of the Case:

* Legal Precedent: The case relies on the landmark 2012 Supreme Court ruling and subsequent retroactive applications, which prohibit mandatory life sentences without the chance of parole for juvenile offenders.

* Local Impact: The 2001 murder of Half and Susanne Zantop deeply impacted the Dartmouth College community and the surrounding region, making the resentencing hearing a significant event for residents.

* Procedural Finality: This hearing marks the conclusion of a multi-year effort in New Hampshire to review the sentences of all individuals currently incarcerated for crimes they committed as teenagers, bringing the state into compliance with evolving constitutional standards regarding juvenile justice.