Whether the culpability of the person who instigates a murder is greater than that of the person who commits it at the instigator's direction depends on the circumstances of each case; it is not an invariable rule that the instigator bears greater culpability. A sentencing discount for cooperation with authorities is diminished where the offender has provided multiple inconsistent versions of events, as this undermines the credibility and value of the evidence. A sentence of 16 years for a planned, premeditated murder of a vulnerable victim by repeated hammer blows was manifestly inadequate even accounting for a guilty plea and cooperation.
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