possible under massachusetts law, life in prison with no chance of ever getting out. for brodie s family, the sentence meant healing could finally begin. i knew that he was going to pay for the crime. and that made me feel better. reporter: now almost 20 years later, a shocking reversal. it s a slap in the face. we feel betrayed, betrayed by the justice system. reporter: on christmas eve 2013, massachusetts s highest court ruled that putting juveniles in prison without the chance of parole violates their constitutional rights. at the heart of the issue is the science of brain development. neurologically, the adolescent s brain is continuing to develop. starting at about age 18, even serious violence in serial offenders begin to decrease. so by the time they re in the mid-20s and late 20s, most of them are no longer engaging in crime at all.
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i mean, we sell tools or items. i mean, it s no different than the guy that sold him the knife that he used. the manager says we often talk about guns, the regulation of guns, that that s an easier topic to talk about. but there are other more complicated issues at stake here. erin? thank you very much. pretty incredible there what he had to say. i guess the question is what motives someone like elliot rodger to kill? he is one of troubled young people who commit heinous crimes. but some say kids who kill can be rehabilitated. jean casarez has an outfront investigation into the mind of killer teens. she was very easy going. goofy. and goofy, yeah. reporter: beth brodie was only 15 when she was murdered, beaten to death with a baseball bat. her 16-year-old killer was a boy allegedly upset that brodie wouldn t go out with him. richard baldwin was tried as an adult for first-degree murder and given the only penalty
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tact. reporter: jonathan blodgett is the head of the commonwealth district attorney association. this is a converted conference room. it s now the war room. reporter: the war room? to handle the appeals. reporter: his office is now scrambling to prepare for unexpected parole hearings in 11 cases, some decades old. these are the worst of the worst of the worst. the court on that date and that decision redefined justice for 11 victims. reporter: one of those victims is beth brodie. we have to be the voice for beth, because she does not have it, because he took it away. i mean we have to fight for her. reporter: jean casarez, cnn, salem, massachusetts. outfront tonight, dr. jim foulan. you just heard in jean casarez s piece, these killers described as the worst of the worst of the worst. now the justice system is saying well, if you committed this crime as a teenager, maybe you changed. maybe your brain changes. maybe you wouldn t could it
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