According to court records, Benjamin Schreiber’s medical woes began with kidney stones. These grew to such a size that he could no longer relieve himself. Blocked kidneys can only hold so much, which led to Schreiber’s urine backing up in his system. The waste eventually caused Schreiber to develop sepsis, a serious blood infection. If left untreated, sepsis can cause a severe drop in blood pressure, dizziness, and death, according to the CDC. He was found unconscious in his prison cell and rushed to a hospital. While being treated, Schreiber had to be resuscitated five times via adrenaline injected into his bloodstream.
Schreiber filed for relief with the Iowa courts, claiming that he should be immediately released from prison. As he died (but was revived) in the hospital, he argued that his life sentence had been served. The Des Moines Register reports that Schreiber stated that his sentence was life without parole, “not life plus one day.” He was denied but appealed the ruling to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Read Related Also: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: REAL LIFE MEAN GIRLS BULLY HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY GIRL DEAD [Report]
In their ruling, the panel of judges wrote “We conclude the correct reading of section 902.1(1) requires Schreiber to stay in prison for the rest of his natural life, regardless of whether he was resuscitated against his wishes in 2015” (via Iowa Courts). He remains incarcerated. As odd as this court case sounds, it is not the first time this argument has been made by a convicted killer.
