Prisoner who ‘died’ and was revived claimed his life sentence had technically ended

A prisoner who died in prison and was revived once tried to argue that he had technically served his sentence.

Benjamin Schreiber He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 after being convicted of first-degree murder. Schreiber had beaten a man to death with the handle of a pickaxe, and the US court heard how he had conspired with the victim’s girlfriend to kill him and leave his body outside a caravan.

After nearly 20 years behind bars, Schreiber developed kidney stones and began suffering from septic poisoning, according to CNN.

In 2015, he lost consciousness and was transferred from the Iowa State Penitentiary to a nearby hospital. At the medical center, Schreiber was resuscitated five times because his heart stopped briefly.

Doctors used epinephrine and adrenaline to resuscitate the man, stabilizing his condition and allowing them to treat his sepsis.

Once he recovered, he was sent back to prison, but received an anomalous request for a life sentence, as he stated that he technically complied with it.

The convicted killer claimed he was resuscitated against his will, and the Des Moines Register reported he had signed a “Do Not Resuscitate” order years earlier.

They brought Schreiber’s brother and told the medical staff: “if you have pain, you can give him something to relieve it, otherwise you should let him go.”

However, no one truly believed what the convicted murderer claimed he had technically served a life sentence because he had died and been returned against his will.

The courts took a different view on his claim that he had served a life sentence, describing his argument as “ “unconvincing and unfounded.”

Not wanting to leave things at that, Schreiber decided to take it a step further and turn to the Iowa Court of Appeals, which was also unimpressed with his argument.

A three-judge panel ruled on his case, with Judge Amanda Potterfield writing in her decision: “We do not believe the Legislature intended this provision, which defines sentences for the most serious class of crimes under the law of Iowa and imposes ‘more severe sanctions… to release criminal defendants as long as medical procedures during their detention result in their resuscitation by medical professionals.’

“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.”

Schreiber died last year at Unity Point Medical Center in Fort Dodge “of natural causes.”