A man ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for a murder he committed as a teenager has been given a new sentence.
It was standing-room only inside a Berks County courtroom on Thursday, as a Berks County judge re-sentenced Melvin Ortiz to 35 years to life in state prison, with credit for the 20-and-a-half years he’s already served.
That’s the sentence recommended by Berks County District Attorney John Adams.
Ortiz was convicted in 1999 of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of George Clauser Jr. during a robbery of Clauser’s pizza shop on North 10th Street in Reading two days before Christmas in 1997.
Ortiz was 17 at the time of the killing, making him eligible for re-sentencing as a result of a Supreme Court decision that applied retroactively a ban on mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders.
“I think we’re pretty much satisfied the way it went,” said George Clauser, Sr. “I still think the Supreme Court made a stupid ruling.”
The second person involved in the murder has not been identified, and Clauser’s family said Ortiz should never be released from prison unless he names his accomplice.
“Absolutely not,” said Clauser Sr. “I could say, yeah, if he will name the other guy and make sure he’s convicted.”
Ortiz and his family have maintained his innocence from day one. Ortiz’s brother, Javier, said the family is disappointed that he didn’t become a free man on Thursday, but they’re thankful for, at least, the possibility of a second chance.
“We want the truth to come out,” said Javier Ortiz. “We’ve been trying to tell the truth for 20-something years, but they don’t want to hear his voice. They don’t want to accept his appeal. They don’t want to bring light to this darkness.”