Benjamin Schreiber, an Iowa prisoner serving life without parole for murder, suffered a severe medical emergency in 2015. His heart actually stopped during treatment for kidney stones and sepsis, and doctors had to revive him with IV fluids and epinephrine.
After he recovered, Schreiber made a bold legal move: he filed a motion arguing that because his heart had stopped and he was clinically dead—even if only for a few minutes—his life sentence had technically been served.
⚖️ The Court’s Response:
In 2019, an Iowa district judge ruled against him, stating that a brief medical death doesn’t end a life sentence.
In 2020, the Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the decision, clarifying that a life sentence lasts until death in the “ordinary sense of the word”—meaning the person is dead and remains dead.
Despite the clever argument, Schreiber remains behind bars to this day.
Source: Some Amazing Facts
