Florida woman in 'stand your ground' case takes plea deal for shorter sentence

[Liberal_in_LA]

A Florida woman who'd been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in a "stand your ground" case accepted a plea bargain Monday that greatly reduces her sentence.

The 20-year sentence came in a case in which the woman, a mother of three, said she was attempting to flee her husband on August 1, 2010, when she picked up a handgun and fired a shot into a wall. Nobody was struck by the bullet.

After having the initial conviction overturned, Marissa Alexander was sentenced Monday to 65 days in jail on two counts of aggravated assault, with credit for time already served since her 2012 conviction. She will also serve two years under house arrest, and she agreed to wear a monitoring device.

She will be sentenced later on a third aggravated assault count.

"She was sitting in prison with a 20-year sentence," one of her lawyers, Bruce Zimit, told CNN affiliate WJXT. "Bottom line, she's going to be finishing the case with a three-year sentence plus whatever else the judge does at sentencing" on the third count.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/24/us/stand-your-ground-plea-florida/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Suich]

1. For firing a shot into a wall????????

That's nuts.

[msanthrope]

3. Firing in the direction of a man and two children will get you time. nt

[hack89]

4. Firing at a man's head and barely missing should be a crime, don't you think? Nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

6. I think actually shooting someone should be a crime.

But as we just saw, it's ok depending on who you are.

And, btw, both she and the 'victim' already stated that she did *not* "fire at his head". She got arrested for firing what everyone acknowledged was a warning shot. Had she actually 'fired at his head', ie, tried to shoot him and simply missed, she would have had a much more solid defense under Florida law.

[hack89]

7. The physical evidence and the trial judges's statement say otherwise

She was charged with three counts of aggravated assault. She never had a credible self defense argument - she left the scene, walked past a open door that led to safety, got her gun, returned to the scene and opened fire.

[Jenoch]

2. I'm fairly certain this was not a

stand your ground case since she left the house to get her handgun, returned with the gun, then shot the gun in the same general direction of the children.

[tammywammy]

5. That seems fair. n/t