Dakotah Eliason was a fourteen year old from Michigan who would shoot and kill his Grandfather while he was sleeping
According to court documents Dakotah Eliason who was suffering from a deep depression when he would take a gun and fatally shoot his Grandfather who was sleeping on a couch.
Dakotah Eliason would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison however when the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles should not be sentenced to life Dakotah sentence was reduced to 37 to 60 years in prison
Dakotah Eliason Photos
Dakotah Eliason FAQ
When is Dakotah Eliason Release Date
Dakotah Eliason current release date is 2072 however is eligible for parole in 2042
Where is Dakotah Eliason Now
Dakotah Eliason is currently incarcerated at Carson City Correctional Facility
Dakotah Eliason Case
he Niles teen who killed his step-grandfather five years ago was resentenced Friday to serve 35 to 60 years in prison, the mid-range of years the judge could have imposed.
Dakotah Eliason, now 19, has been in custody since March 2010 when the fatal shooting occurred.
Friday’s sentence was on his conviction for first-degree murder and for using a firearm in the commission of a felony, for which Eliason was handed a two-year consecutive term.
Berrien County Trial Judge Scott Schofield also granted Eliason credit for the more than five years he already has served.
Eliason was originally sentenced to a term of life without parole in 2010. He got the opportunity to be resentenced after a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that juveniles cannot be sentenced automatically to life without parole in prison.
Schofield ruled in late May that he would give Eliason the chance to someday get out on parole.
The daughter, son-in-law and great-niece of Eliason’s victim, Jesse Miles, on Friday continued to argue for the maximum possible penalty.
Peter Hartz, Miles’ son-in-law, talked about the “heinousness of this crime” and “the utter complete lack of remorse” Eliason has shown.
He said, “There are still nights when I’m awakened by my wife’s crying
“Where is the victim’s justice?”, he asked.
Miles’ daughter, Vickie Hartz, said her father received “the most cruel and unusual punishment.” She and Miles’ great-niece Angie Masunas also had harsh words for Eliason’s relatives. Both women blamed them for what happened.
“If half of the people here today were in his (Dakotah’s) life then, my uncle might be here today,” Masunas said.
Dakotah Eliason apologized to Miles’ relatives. “I am sorry, I don’t blame you,” he told them, to which Masunas replied, “Then why did you do it?”
“There’s nothing I can do to bring him back,” Eliason said. “You may never forgive me, I don’t expect you to, but at some point in the future at least remember that there are some good memories of when I was young.”
He said that he’s gone through therapy while in prison, gotten his GED and helped others get theirs. “I’m trying to help others better themselves and better myself in the process,” he said. “In therapy, I’ve learned how to better control my anger and stay level-headed when something upsets me.”
“The question of ‘Why?’ is a big part of this and I’m trying to find an answer that makes sense to me,” he added. “I want to show everyone that I don’t want to harm anybody. I want to show that I can be a productive member of society.
Schofield said he considered both Eliason’s “suggestion of rehabilative potential,” as well as the severity of his crime. He said he was pleased to see Eliason’s progress in prison as well as the support provided by his family members, but also pointed to the need for punishment, retribution, deterrence and protection of the public.
“This was a heinous offense that was especially shocking and blameworthy,” he said. “… You had a close relationship with Jesse Miles and he was nothing but kind to you. It is bewildering and inexplicable to this day.”
The judge said he considered the impact of Eliason’s crime on his victims. Schofield said that he is pleased Eliason seems to be trying to give his life purpose, adding “No one is irredeemable and beyond redemption.”
Steve Eliason, Dakotah’s father, said he was glad that his son will get a chance to see freedom at someday. “I continue to tell him like the judge did that it doesn’t matter where he’s at, he can do positive things with his life and he’s done that.”