Is a defendant's sentence for murder disproportionate to the severity of the crime?

Defendant contends his 25-year-to-life sentence violates the Eighth Amendment proscription against cruel and unusual punishment. Defendant waived this challenge when he failed to raise it in the trial court. (People v. Norman (2003) 109 Cal.App.4th 221, 229.) Even if there were no waiver, however, we would find no merit in the claim.

"The Eighth Amendment prohibits imposition of a sentence that is 'grossly disproportionate' to the severity of the crime. [Citations.] In a noncapital case, however, successful proportionality challenges are ' "exceedingly rare." ' [Citation.] In the rare case where gross disproportionality can be inferred from (1) the gravity of the offense and harshness of the penalty, the court will consider (2) sentences imposed for other offenses in the same jurisdiction and (3) sentences imposed for commission of the same crimes in other jurisdictions. [Citation.] '[I]t is only in the rare case where a comparison of the crime committed and the sentence imposed leads to an inference of gross disproportionality that the second and third criteria come into play.' " (People v. Haller (2009) 174 Cal.App.4th 1080, 1087-1088.)