GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In April of 1996, Federico Cruz, who was 16-years-old at the time, murdered and decapitated 17-year-old David Crawford near Sparta. Cruz cut off the victim’s head and then recorded himself talking to and mutilating the head. Cruz had beaten the teenager to death and also dissected his heart and spine before decapitating him as a “sacrifice to Satan.”

MORE NEWS: Michigan Senate Tries to Pull the Plug on UIA’s Retroactive Collections

Cruz was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole even without the jury seeing the video of the crime because it was so disturbing.

Because the Supreme Court later ruled that life without parole could not be mandatory for juveniles, Cruz went back court for a resentencing hearing. He was given life without parole again in 2018 with Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Leiber calling Cruz a “sociopath.”

However, that ruling was appealed after another court found that his rights were violated due to a judicial error of not approving state funding for a “mitigation specialist” for Cruz’s attorney to provide a better defense for his client.

Last Thursday, August 17th, Cruz ended up resentenced in court again and was given between 35 to 60 years in prison. With 27 years already served, that means that he could be released in less than a decade.

According to WOOD-TV, Cruz apologized to Crawford’s family and said, “I apologize again for taking David from you, for causing you so much harm that is unimaginable. I’m so sorry.”

The judge in the most recent case, Judge Mark Trusocok, said about Cruz, “When he committed this atrocious murder, he was very mentally ill. I do not believe he is now. He has done an excellent job in prison reshaping his life.”

MORE NEWS: Justice at Last: Father of Three Missing Boys Charged With Their Murders

However, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office, along with Crawford’s family, wanted Cruz in prison forever. Crawford’s sister, Kathryn Crawford, was in court and said to Cruz, “I will never forgive you for what you took away from our family.” She also said, “I feel very angry. I think it’s unsafe for the community having somebody who had committed such a violent crime being out there, being someone’s neighbor, it’s just a big risk.”

Cruz is one of about two dozen people in Kent County who have been resentenced due to the Supreme Court decision.

Michigan legislators also voted this year to abolish juvenile (age 19 and under) life without parole (JLWOP) to be in compliance with the ruling of the Supreme Court.