When much of Duval County was first introduced to Joshua Phillips, he was a frightened, wiry, teenager who beat and stabbed 8-year-old Maddie Clifton when she would not stop crying after being hit by a baseball. He then entombed her lifeless body beneath his waterbed as the region searched tirelessly for any signs of the little girl who seemingly vanished from her Southside neighborhood one day in 1998.

Phillips was 14 years old at the time.

His mother made the gruesome discovery after helping pass out flyers of the missing girl who lived across the street. Maddie’s whereabouts were unknown to all but Joshua Phillips for a solid week in November 1998. Throngs of officers and volunteers searched for her each day.

Maddie’s death devastated the community, tormented the Clifton and Phillips families and sent a boy off to prison, presumably for life.

Phillips will be back in court starting Monday for the possibility of getting a new prison sentence. He is now 33.

Florida’s tough stance on crime at any cost has been challenged repeatedly.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling said it was unconstitutional to automatically impose on juveniles life sentences without a chance for parole. To do so was cruel and unusual punishment.

Statewide, some 600 inmates’ life sentences have the potential to be changed. For the region that consists of Duval, Nassau and Clay counties, the number is 80.

Locally, at least six cases have been heard recently, according to a list provided by the State Attorney’s Office.

Of those, two men were released from prison because a judge decided they served enough time; one person was resentenced to life; one was resentenced to 45 years; and one case’s outcome could not be verified Friday. A sixth, that of a 17-year-old who killed a 23-year-old Riverside nursing student by stabbing her 31 times, was heard Friday. That killer, Kimothy Simmons, will be sentenced Aug. 31.

While Simmons’ case took a little more than three hours, the Phillips case is expected to take three to four days.

"I’ll just be glad when it is all over," said Sheila Delongis, Maddie’s mother, as she broke down and began to cry. "That’s all I really have to say about it. I’ll be glad when it’s over and I can have peace of mind."

During a resentencing hearing, the guilt phase is already established, but the judge determines if the term of life behind bars is justified after reviewing the original case and taking into account the defendant’s age and circumstances. That includes the nature of the offense; the effect of the crime on the victim’s family and community; the defendant’s mental and emotional health at the time; the defendant’s background, including family life and environment; and the possibility of rehabilitating the defendant.

In 2008, the 10-year-anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance and death, a reporter with the Times-Union sat down and talked with Phillips in prison.

He seemed conflicted when asked what a fair sentence would be.

"I really don’t know if I deserve it or not," he said. "But I know I want a second chance. Maybe I deserve to die in prison."

Tom Fallis, an attorney who is handling the resentencing hearing, did not return phone calls seeking comment. He previously told the Times-Union that to sentence a "14-year-old to life is barbaric."

Phillips still could get life, but faces a minimum of 40 years. However, state law requires that all juvenile convictions involving a death be brought back to the judge for a review after 25 years. That means that, in six years, Phillips will come back to court for a review regardless of what happens with his new sentence. At that point, the judge could release him if it’s determined that he’s served enough time.

Eileen Kelley: (904) 359-4104