Benjamin Schreiber, a convicted murderer serving life without parole, made headlines when he argued that he had technically fulfilled his sentence—because he had “died.”
Back in 2015, while in Iowa State Penitentiary, Schreiber was hospitalized with septic poisoning caused by kidney stones. His heart stopped multiple times, and despite a “do not resuscitate” order, doctors revived him. He later recovered and returned to prison.
In 2018, Schreiber filed a legal motion, claiming that since his heart had stopped, he had technically died—and therefore, his “life sentence” was complete.
A judge rejected the argument, stating that if Schreiber was alive enough to file a motion, his sentence wasn’t over. In 2019, the court called his claim “unpersuasive and without merit.”
Schreiber’s secondary claim—that his rights were violated when doctors ignored his DNR—wasn’t addressed by the court.
He ultimately died of natural causes in April 2023, remaining in custody until the end.
