A "Pyrrhic victory" connotes a victory with disastrous consequences. This is one way to understand the defendant's "victory" in the California case of People v. Morgain (2009). Morgain was convicted of murder, and sentenced to a term of 51 years to life in state prison. Morgain appealed, and the court rejected all of his arguments except for one. The court agreed with Morgain that he should have been credited with serving 249 days in custody prior to the date of his sentence, rather than the credit of 248 days that the trial court had given him. Winning one extra day of credit on a sentence of 51 years to life seems like a Pyrrhic victory if ever there was one!
Oct 08, 2009
