Thanks for the article, jaygeezy.
I can't see her family or the District Attorney's office charging him with anything less than 1st Degree, but the judge will probably add 2nd Degree in order to avoid a hung jury.
What he did was brutal. Overkill.
Anyway, bring in the medical folks to talk about cough syrup.
In NC, 1st degree murder, an A1 Felony, has only two sentences: Life Without Parole or Death.
And in NC, LWOP is absolutely life without parole.
Second Degree Murder is a Class B1 Felony -- sentencing for someone not having prior felony points (which I feel sure Phelps does not have) has three categories:
Mitigated........144--192 months
Presumptive...192--240 months
Aggravated.....240--300 months
IMO, 20 to 25 years is barely enuff. (Aggravated 2nd degree)