Monday, November 24, 2014

Florida 'warning shot' case ends in plea deal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A woman accused of firing a gun at her estranged husband and his two sons in what she said was self-defense took a plea deal in a case that first got attention because her attorneys used Florida's "stand your ground" law in its defense, arguing that she feared for her life before discharging the weapon.
Marissa Alexander is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the 2010 shooting. Under the deal with prosecutors, she would receive credit for the 1,030 days she has already served. Alexander's chief attorney, Bruce Zimet, said it was his client who agreed to the deal after it was offered.
"I think from our client's standpoint, she wanted to get this behind her and move on with her life and her family," Zimet said.
Had the 34-year-old Alexander, of Jacksonville, been convicted of all counts at her second trial in the case — set to begin Dec. 1 — she would have had to serve 60 years because of Florida's minimum-mandatory sentencing rules when a firearm is involved.
During her first trial, the jury deliberated just 12 minutes before delivering a guilty verdict. Under Florida law, anyone who fires a gun during the commission of a felony is subject to a minimum of 20 years in prison, which was her original sentence. After serving 21 months, Alexander's conviction was overturned by an appeals court judge, who said the previous ruling had incorrectly placed the burden on Alexander to prove that she was abused by Gray.

No comments:

Post a Comment