GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A convicted killer who had his mandatory life sentence overturned because the crime happened when he was a teen has lost a bid to have his revised sentence of 35 to 60 years shortened.
Chad Maleski was 17 when he participated in the Grand Rapids abduction and murder of retired autoworker Willie Jones.
Maleski pulled $33 in cash from the victim’s pockets as Jones lay bleeding on the ground during the March, 2000 attack outside Michigan Lanes bowling alley on Michigan Street NE.
Maleski was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison. His sentence was thrown out after the U.S. Supreme Court said mandatory life terms for juveniles was unconstitutional.
Maleski, now 37, argued that the revised sentence was “unreasonable and disproportionate.’’ The appeals court disagreed.
“The trial court thoroughly considered the relevant factors related to defendant’s sentence,’’ the appeals court wrote. “We cannot conclude that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing a sentence of 35 to 60 years’ imprisonment for defendant’s felony murder conviction.’’
Maleski and three others were convicted in the death of Jones. The 66-year-old Grand Rapids man was stuffed into the trunk of his Cadillac; his assailants turned up the car radio to drown out his screams. Jones was driven to a remote area of Mecosta County where he was repeatedly stabbed with scissors and left to die.
Maleski later changed his blood-covered pants and shoes.
A Kent County jury found Maleski guilty of kidnapping, car-jacking, unarmed robbery and felony murder. He was sentenced in December of 2000 to life without parole.
That sentence was upended when the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 struck down mandatory life sentences for juveniles. It said life sentences are still an option, but only under the rarest of circumstances.
The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office in 2016 filed motions to impose no parole sentences on 13 defendants serving life terms for murders committed as teens, including Maleski.
During a 2018 hearing, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock said he would sentence Maleski to a term of years rather than uphold the life sentence.
Working in Maleski’s favor was his cooperation with police, which included taking officers to the victim’s body and leading them to others involved, the judge said.
Before he was resentenced, Makeski apologized. “I know there is really nothing I can say or do that is going to make up for what I did in the past, but I do want to apologize to the family and hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive me for what I did,’’ he said during the 2018 hearing.
Maleski is serving his term at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia. His earliest release date is in March of 2035 when he is 52 years old.
Three others were also charged and convicted in Jones' death. They remain in prison.
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.