He raised objections to being revived. A convict once contended that his life sentence was effectively fulfilled when his heart ceased beating.
In 1996, Benjamin Schreiber was found guilty of first-degree murder and handed a life sentence for fatally striking a man with a pickaxe handle, leaving his body by a trailer. Collaborating with the victim’s girlfriend, Schreiber orchestrated the murder.
In 2015, he developed kidney stones and suffered septic poisoning, leading to unconsciousness in his Iowa State Penitentiary cell and subsequent hospitalization. Despite dying under medical care, Schreiber was resuscitated using epinephrine and adrenaline, treated for sepsis, and returned to prison.
His legal team argued at the Iowa Court of Appeals that Schreiber had effectively served his “life sentence.” They also contested his revival, citing a previous ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ directive. Schreiber’s brother reportedly instructed medical personnel at the hospital to ease his pain but otherwise let him pass.
However, the courts rejected Schreiber’s claims as lacking persuasiveness and merit. In a ruling penned by Justice Amanda Potterfield, the three-judge panel asserted that Iowa law mandates life imprisonment for class A felonies without exceptions for medical interventions leading to a convict’s revival.
