At just 15 years old, Paula Cooper became one of the youngest people in the United States to receive a death sentence.

In 1985, Cooper and three other teenage girls went to the home of 78-year-old Bible teacher Ruth Pelke in Gary, Indiana. Prosecutors said the group intended to rob her. Pelke was killed during the incident, and Cooper later confessed to the murder.

In 1986, Cooper was sentenced to death. Her case attracted international attention because of her age, and Pope John Paul II was among those who called for clemency.

After legal and legislative changes concerning the execution of juveniles, Cooper’s death sentence was ultimately changed to 60 years in prison. She was released in 2013 after serving more than 25 years.

Her case became part of the broader debate over how the justice system should punish people who commit extremely serious crimes as teenagers.