On Oct. 17, a 20-year-old Maryland man was sentenced to 28 years in prison for shooting three men with birdshot. The man’s sentence was originally 53 years in prison, but 25 years of the sentence was suspended. After he is released from prison, the man will spend five years on probation. Following the sentencing hearing, a prosecutor commented that the sentence had been decided based on the seriousness of the crime, the man’s age and his past criminal record.
The accused man’s criminal charges were the result of an incident that took place on Aug. 29, 2013. While a barbecue was being held near an abandoned trailer in Centreville, the man fired three rounds of birdshot in the group’s direction. Three men were hit by the birdshot and required treatment at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
Almost one year after the incident, the man was convicted of three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of first- and second-degree assault. The man was acquitted on charges of first and second-degree attempted murder. Before he was convicted, a jury spent five hours deliberating after hearing four days of testimony. According to reports, there had been a motion to give the defendant a new trial. However, a judge denied the motion.
While it may be difficult to seek an acquittal of all charges in some criminal cases, certain strategies may help an individual avoid excessive penalties. For example, in this case, while the man was sentenced to 28 years of incarceration, he may have avoided additional sanctions because the attempted murder charges were dropped. A criminal defense lawyer may be able to help other defendants pursue similar outcomes.
Source: MyEasternShoreMD, “Stevensville man sentenced in Grasonville shooting”, Angela Price, October 17, 2014
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