Rene Porter has watched her son, Kurese Bell, go from a 17-year-old boy to a 29-year-old man, while visiting him in prison for the past 12 years. Kurese was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for of a deadly 2014 marijuana dispensary robbery in North Park, but last week a judge in Juvenile Justice court ruled he can finally be released. “I’m just really grateful, you know, relieved more than anything,” said his mother Rene. Prosecutors said Kurese was 17-year-old gang member when he committed two robberies in 2014. The last one ended in a shootout. His accomplice, Marlon Thomas, what shot and killed by the security guard. Kurese shot and wounded the security guard, who the San Diego County District Attorney later gave a Citizens of Courage Award. Kurese’s case has many layers. The then-teen was convicted and charged as an adult under California’s felony murder rule. It allowed the district attorney to charge him with first degree murder of his accomplice, Marlon, though the security guard shot him dead. In 2017, Kurese was sentenced to 65-years to life in prison, and 33 conurrent years. Soon after, a state law change that would have limited the felony murder rule provided some hope for Kurese, but the courts disagreed with his attorney’s appeals. “The felony murder rule change should have applied here,” said Kurese’s attorney, Patrick Dudley. Dudley said passing state Senate Bill 545 could be a sea change for justice reform. He said it helped win Kurese his freedom and puts a check on prosecuting powers.  “I think the district attorney’s office was aggressive in using the transfer process in a way to try juveniles as an  adult,” said Dudley.  “What the legislature determined, was a change in law, that said, you know, we look at people who are teenagers, adolescents differently. Their brain development is different than adults. Their decision making, their cognitive choices, they’re all different … we need to realize that we can’t just, you know, indiscriminately file these cases in adult court.” District Attorney Summer Stephan issued a statement saying: “This case is another example of the impact of new laws that do not balance the rights of victims with those who commit the crimes. These laws change the rules, so the end result is that offenders are released well before their original sentence date without full consideration for those they victimized nor community safety.” “I feel like change can happen with everyone,” said Porter. “I did a lot of things too, now I’m a nurse, and, you know, a respected part of community.” Porter said her rehabilitated son wants to be a mentor to help keep others out of jail. While his attorney said Kurese’s case is helping to balance the scales of justice, when some are calling on prosecutors to be tough on crime. “Being tough doesn’t think about things. It doesn’t think about the ramifications on how it affects communities of color. It doesn’t think about how the law’s applied in inequitable fashion. These are things that need to be considered,” said Dudley. The district attorney noted that judges are forced to follow state laws that leave prosecutors fighting for victims in a constant uphill battle. ...read more read less