I'd be cool with the life sentence if he was actually prosecuted for the supposed attempt to hire a hitman, but that charge was dropped. Giving someone life without parole as a first time non violent offender is obscene. 10 years in prison would have been much more reasonable.
This. I'm glad to have the asshole behind bars 'cause he was bad for business, but I think a life sentence was unjustified considering that they didn't even get a conviction on the murder charge.
The dude is a first offender. As far as I'm concerned rape, torture and murder are really about the only things that can justify life sentences, and while there was a murder charge they could have prosecuted, they didn't.
Bad for what business? Who's business? Without Silk Road bitcoin might not have got to where it is today. For many people the coverage bitcoin received in the media via silk road was their first introduction to bitcoin myself included. I agree the sentence was harsh though. You can rape and murder someone and get less time than what Ross got. Even people who attempt to hire hitmen to kill people usually only get 5 years or something so that shouldn't have affected his sentence much even if it was relevant to this trial (which it wasn't).