Is there any case law supporting a life sentence for a convicted rapist?

Howells' contention that the district court "utterly dismissed" his own history and remorse, id. at 23, is belied by the court's reference to these facts on the record in explaining why it, nevertheless, deemed them insufficient reason to vary from the Guidelines life sentence, see App'x 194. The weight to be given such mitigating factors "is a matter firmly committed to the discretion of the sentencing judge and is beyond our appellate review, as long as the sentence ultimately imposed is reasonable." United States v. Florez, 447 F.3d 145, 158 (2d Cir. 2006) (alteration and internal quotation marks omitted). The same conclusion applies with respect to the weight the district court chose to give possible reduced general deterrence as compared to numerous case-specific aggravating factors supporting the challenged sentence.