Convicted Murderer, 15, Will Be Eligible for Parole, Judge Rules

La’Tasha Armstead, one of the youngest juveniles ever tried as an adult for murder, will be eligible for parole in 15 years, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge ruled Friday.

La’Tasha was 13 when she and her boyfriend strangled Charlotte Brown, a middle-age nurse whose car they coveted. For two years, her lawyers appealed in vain to get her transferred to juvenile court; in June, La’Tasha, now 15, was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide.

Her conviction carries an automatic life sentence.

Two of the victim’s children appeared in court Friday to ask that La’Tasha remain in prison for life, with no possibility of parole. Judge Mel Flannigan ruled instead that La’Tasha should be eligible for parole at age 30. Under current Wisconsin policy, however, all murderers’ appeals for parole are automatically denied.

It is not yet clear whether La’Tasha will go directly to the adult women’s prison in Fond du Lac, Wis., or first spend a few years in a facility for serious juvenile offenders. Corrections officials will make that determination after evaluating her maturity.