Posted on 05/11/2012 12:52:39 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
(CNN) — Saying he had no discretion under state law, a judge sentenced a Jacksonville, Florida, woman to 20 years in prison Friday for firing a warning shot in an effort to scare off her abusive husband.
Marissa Alexander unsuccessfully tried to use Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law to derail the prosecution, but a jury in March convicted her of aggravated assault after just 12 minutes of deliberation.
The case, which was prosecuted by the same state attorney who is handling the Trayvon Martin case, has gained the attention of civil rights leaders who say the African-American woman was persecuted because of her race.
After the sentencing, Rep. Corrine Brown confronted State Attorney Angela Corey in the hallway, accusing her of being overzealous, according to video from CNN affiliate WJXT.
“There is no justification for 20 years,” Brown told Corey during an exchange frequently interrupted by onlookers. “All the community was asking for was mercy and justice,” she said.
Corey said she had offered Alexander a plea bargain that would have resulted in a three-year prison sentence, but Alexander chose to take the case to a jury trial, where a conviction would carry a mandatory sentence under a Florida law known as “10-20-life.”
The law mandates increased penalties for some felonies, including aggravated assault, in which a gun is carried or used.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox8.com ...
Holy Carp!
This is the same bee-yotch that is persecuting George Zimmerman.
No wonder the poor wife got 20 years.
This sh!t makes me sick.
Or saying she shot at him in fear of her life, but missed.
Jury nullification could have helped here.
Got it! She should have shot him.
I wonder if she called or visited the abusive husband to ensure him she would get him justice.
For those who wonder why innocent people often take plea bargains on the advice of counsel...
The mrs. Alexander, the shooter, returned into the house with the gun in order to retrieve her vehicle keys after realizing she had left the hosue without them.
In this case, no physical evidence is presented about whether the husband actually made an assalut-like move against her. But, she should definitely have not returned into the house but run to someone else's home if she was certain-be-in-danger-of-life.
It took 12 minutes to deliberate? It sounds like we had "jurygottagethomefordinnerification."
Rick Scott should pardon her. But he won’t. After all he CHOSE this psycho bitch Corey for the Martin case!
Also what would have helped is not having a gun after committing a felony. I think that is the real meat of this.
I think she should have been found not guilty, given the following, I can sort of understand the verdict.
“She said she escaped and ran to the garage, intending to drive away. But, she said, she forgot her keys, so she picked up her gun and went back into the house. She said her husband threatened to kill her, so she fired one shot.”
Her going back into the house with the gun, seems to be what prevented her from claiming self defense.
Still, even if you don’t buy self defense, I think this seems more like reckless endagerment than aggravated assault. She did not injure, or even attempt to injure anyone. 20 years is extremely excessive.
This seems like one of the few cases where a pardon or commutation would be appropriate.
Ridiculous sentence and waste of taxpayer money.
She used common sense thinking a shot would show she was serious about him backing off.
Common sense is no longer an excuse under the law.
Hire an attorney, belt him to your waist, and go about your day, conulting occassionally.
20 years for a warning shot? People get less than that for killing someone. Women are out there cutting off their husbands’ penises, shooting them in their sleep and all other manner of nastiness, and they often get off scot-free or with a slap on the wrist, and this woman gets 20 years for a warning shot?
Sure (contrived?)to create more dissension in the Zimmermann case?
>>>Also what would have helped is not having a gun after committing a felony. I think that is the real meat of this.<<<
I read that she had no prior, criminal record.
I also read that the “victim” admitted to abusing her, and said he had “5 baby mamas” and abused all but one of them.
Angela Corey seems to really LOVE violent criminals like Gray and Martin and HATE their victims like Alexander and Zimmerman.
I think the big winner here is Mike Nifong. Soon, unjust, overzealous prosecutors, who pervert justice and persecute innocent people, will be labeled “Angela Corey’s” rather than “Mike Nifongs”.
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