In Florida, and prosecuted by the same woman prosecuting George Zimmerman. Another case of over-charging by State Attorney Angela Corey. I’ve included a snippet of the story here but click through and read the whole thing, you’ll be as infuriated as I am.
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…Brown, the Jacksonville congresswoman, told reporters after the sentencing that the case was a product of “institutional racism.”
“She was overcharged by the prosecutor. Period,” Brown said. “She never should have been charged.”
Brown, btw, praised Corey’s over-charging Zimmerman for 2nd degree murder in the Martin case. Obviously this is a representative where race is the deciding factor, not justice. The truth of the matter is, over-charging is over-charging and Corey seems to like to do that when it comes to cases involving guns. That is the problem, threatening the Rule of Law for everyone, regardless of complexion.
Corey said the case deserved to be prosecuted because Alexander fired in the direction of a room where two children were standing.
Alexander said she was attempting to flee her husband, Rico Gray, on August 1, 2010, when she picked up a handgun and fired a shot into a wall.
She said her husband had read cell phone text messages that she had written to her ex-husband, got angry and tried to strangle her.
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.
“I believe when he threatened to kill me, that’s what he was absolutely going to do,” she said. “That’s what he intended to do. Had I not discharged my weapon at that point, I would not be here.”
So how do we get a petition together to ask the Florida Governor to pardon her?
where the hell is the governor abut this??? and FIRE that dam attorney general!!…do these people expect to get away with this without the people doin anything about it? outrageous!!!
Before Right and Wrong died,they suffocated Common Sense.
This sounds absolutely ridiculous! But, Rep. Brown needs to be more consistent in her position, beyond mere racial consistency, but consistent as concerns equal justice for all, regardless of race!
I’m not a lawyer, but I play one on TV:
After about 5 minutes of online research, Alexander, was, in fact, by deed, and definition, under Florida Law, GUILTY of ‘aggravated assault’.(In retrospect, she should have keep on running, and never have gone back into the house to ‘get her keys’, but that’s a moot point now)
Here’s what we know and don’t know:
Known: Corey(The State Attorney) 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.”
Unknown: Why she didn’t take the ‘plea deal’ since she was GUILTY as charged. I blame her so-called arrogant ‘Defense’ Lawyers. It was up to them to convince her that SHE NEEDED TO TAKE THE DEAL. And would ‘probably’ only serve half the time(good behaviour, etc…)but they FAILED: She didn’t, the jury convicted, the judge had no choice with the sentence and that is that under present Florida law as written.
posted 5/12 630pm Texas[Perry Mason]Time
To hilite how misguided this is; link to an abuse story one week ago in Florida that ended with the husband shooting his wife.
On a personal note; I worked with the woman. Knew her only in passing, but enough to know that she was the sweetest person. Sad and angry right now.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/254617/250/Police-Woman-shot-by-elderly-husband-has-died?odyssey=tab|topnews|bc|large