Credit: Iowa State Penitentiary & Alamy
Prisoner Who ‘Died’ And Got Brought Back To Life Argued His Life Sentence Had Ended
A prisoner who ‘died’ and then got brought back to life argued that his life sentence had ended.
High-profile criminal cases often draw renewed attention to how courts interpret the meaning and limits of a sentence. While most rulings follow established legal precedent, some cases stand out for the unusual arguments raised by inmates seeking release.
One such case involved Benjamin Edward Schreiber, an Iowa man serving a life sentence who argued that his punishment had effectively been completed after he temporarily died in prison and was later revived by medical staff.
Schreiber claimed that because he had clinically died, he had technically fulfilled the terms of a ‘life’ sentence.
The case nevertheless sparked public discussion about the literal and legal interpretation of life sentences within the criminal justice system.
Schreiber’s case became a focal point for this debate, highlighting the real-life consequences of life sentences in the legal system.
Medical emergency behind bars
Schreiber was a convicted murderer – he was found guilty of first-degree murder without the possibility of parole for the mid-1990s killing of John Terry, who was bludgeoned to death with an axe handle.
Years after his sentencing, in March 2015, Schreiber developed large kidney stones and was hospitalized with septic poisoning, as per CNN.
He passed out in his cell at Iowa State Penitentiary.
Schreiber was then rushed to hospital and his heart reportedly had to be restarted five times using an IV containing ‘adrenaline/epinephrine’ by medical staff.
This was in spite of a ‘do not resuscitate’ order which had been put in place years earlier, according to The Des Moines Register.
The filing says that medics contacted his brother in Texas when Schreiber was initially submitted to the hospital, and he reportedly told them: “If he is in pain, you may give him something to ease the pain, but otherwise you are to let him pass.”
Schreiber ended up undergoing surgery to repair the damage to his kidneys and was also treated for septic shock with antibiotics. Eventually, he recovered.
The court weighs in
Following his recovery, Schreiber turned to the courts, seeking to challenge the terms of his life sentence based on his near-death experience.
The inmate applied for post-conviction relief in April 2018.
Schreiber claimed that when his heart stopped, he had technically died and therefore, his life sentence should be over.
His argument attracted national attention not just for its unusual logic, but also for the broader questions it raised about the interpretation of life sentences.
A judge declined Schreiber’s request to be made free in 2019, branding his claim ‘unpersuasive and without merit.’
At the time, Judge Amanda Potterfield stated: “Schreiber is either still alive, in which case he must remain in prison, or he is actually dead, in which case this appeal is moot.”
While court documents say: “Petitioner asserts that he ‘died’ on March 30, 2015, and as a result of such ‘death’ he has now served the life sentence and should be released from custody.
“The court finds this assertion unpersuasive and without merit. Nothing in the record supports [the] petitioner’s claims.
“The petitioner’s filing of these proceedings in itself confirms the petitioner’s current status as living.”
Schreiber’s additional claim that his due process rights were violated when the doctors failed to follow his ‘do not resuscitate’ request was not addressed by the district court.
Due to this, the courts of appeal said it could not address it either in its ruling.
Schreiber died ‘due to natural causes’ in April 2023 in a hospital in Fort Dodge, Iowa, according to his online obituary.
Schreiber never won his bid for freedom. Still, his case remains a striking example of the intersection between life sentences, medical crises, and legal interpretation, sparking debate over what it truly means to serve a ‘life’ sentence.
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