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

[sinkingfeeling]

Source: CNN.com

CNN) -- 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.

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.

Authorities said Alexander needed to be prosecuted because she fired in the direction of a room where children were standing.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/24/us/stand-your-ground-plea-florida/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

[mikeysnot]

1. And gun nut coward Zimmerman is still free.

wow....

[samsingh]

4. well he killed a black man and in florida and in other cases that seems to be okay with juries

[L0oniX]

6. Indeed. It is ok in Ferguson too.

[1monster]

12. It seems to be okay in a lot of states... I recently had conversation with a

Virginia relative who lixes in the Washington Beltway community about Michael Brown and was told, "Nobody cares about black people." She qualified that with, "I'm not saying that's right; that's just how it is." Unfortunately, I could tell that she was one of those who don't care.

[chervilant]

23. I just got terminated this morning, by a self-avowed racist whose

racism is spewed out in the workplace with relative impunity--the owner of the company AND my former (now retired) manager are both self-avowed racists. I've had to hear the "n-word," as well as vile derision about Obama and Ferguson and Michael Brown. It's been challenging, but I severely needed that job.

As I was taking my stuff out to my car and preparing to leave, my former boss showed up. I asked him if he had advised my new manager to get rid of me. He admitted that they had had some conversations about it, but "not in those words." I know he had a role in this termination, because I addressed his racism.

Early in my tenure with the company, I told this man that I support his right to be a racist, but that I hoped he would respect my right not to hear it in the workplace. He became rather overt in pretending to be respectful of my request, but continued to say really disgusting stuff. I would just walk away.

The one GOOD thing about this wrongful termination is that I won't have to hear their disgusting, derisive hate and bigotry. I'll find a way to meet my monthly obligations and strive to get another job. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can find a way to get the tooth pulled that is causing excruciating pain in my mouth and the rest of my body.

[lavenderdiva]

26. I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your job today

I will keep you in my prayers for another, better job, with better circumstances to come your way soon.

Do you live anywhere a Dental School? A lot of times they need patients for their students, who are working directly under licensed dentists, and offer greatly reduced rates for dental care.

you are in my thoughts....

[chervilant]

27. I've been exploring my options.

There is a "free dental clinic" here, that may pull my tooth for nothing. I will be checking on that tomorrow. I have already applied for unemployment, and I'm finishing my app for food stamps in the morning. The pain is excruciating, and I hope to get this tooth out as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful post.

[appalachiablue]

24. Sorry to hear about your VA relative. I live in NoVA and I care, so do my family & friends

thoughout the US.

[KingCharlemagne]

2. One little tiny ray of sunshine amidst a hurricane of sadness and grief (Ferguson). So

thanks for posting.

[Igel]

14. She got a mulligan.

Most don't.

The first time round she was offered a plea deal that would have given her a reduced sentence--less than this one, IIRC. She rejected it and went for broke: SYG and acquittal versus a reduced sentence. Instead her SYG defense was rejected and she was sentenced according to the usual sentencing standards--it's just she got the maximum or close to it.

Under public pressure they tossed out the results of her lack of wisdom and now people rejoice even though it would have been better just to say, "I'll take the deal offered" the first time.

[Lurks Often]

17. The original verdict got overturned on the basis of improper jury instructions by the judge

not public pressure.

When I first heard about the case I was angry as everyone else, but the deeper I dug, the more apparent it became that she had broken a number of laws. I thought and still think the 20 years was excessive and I am glad her lawyers convinced her not to take this trial again.

[hlthe2b]

3. She was "guilty" of the double sin...

of being

Black
AND
Female

[samsingh]

5. that's what it seems like

[AtheistCrusader]

8. No, she's guilty of 1 Speaking to the Police, and 2 Trying to do the right thing.

She'd have been fine if she'd just said nothing to the pigs.

Admitting to firing a warning shot was admission of a felony in that state. All she had to do was wait for a lawyer, and then testify "I was in fear for my life, and I missed him" and she'd have gone home that day.

Warning shots are, in most states, fully illegal, and in some states like Florida, carry a mandatory minimum sentence (20 years) for the class of felony the legislature has deemed it to be.

[littlewolf]

7. I am having some trouble with this being a SYG case.

according to what I have read.
1. she had a restraining order against Mr. Grey after he beat her
in 2009. I dk if that order was rescinded.

2. July 2010 2 months after marrying Mr. Grey she gives birth to their
1st child. during that 2 months she was not living with Grey. Hence
the rescinded restraining order.

3. July 31 she left her daughter at the hospital and went to Grey's house
where she spent the night, alone.

4. Next Morning Grey and his 2 sons come home, everyone had breakfast.
no reported problems.

5. She gave Grey her cell phone to show him pictures of their daughter,
he spots texts from her ex, and he begins to doubt he is the daddy of the
little girl.

6. Verbal argument starts. she goes into the garage. she gets a gun (legal)
out of her car, comes back into the house and shoots at Grey.

7. Grey and his sons flee and calls 911.

I have my doubts about this being stand your ground.
1. she may have violated a court order (restraining)
2. she fled, armed herself, reentered the mans house and shot at him.
Grey did not enter the garage - she was safe there, she could have called
911 but didn't. she reentered the home and shot at Mr. Grey.

I would like to hear how others are seeing this.

[packman]

9. Sounds like it's a plot for a reality show

Love, love scorned, guns, babies, leaving your "husband", in-doubt fatherhood, beatings, restraining orders, ex-husbands, abandoned baby --- shit, what more could you want? And , it takes place in Florda.

[littlewolf]

10. sometimes the scripts write themselves. nt

[MosheFeingold]

13. Doesn't sound like "Stand Your Ground"

More like "mutual domestic violence" to me.

[Sunlei]

15. it is a good thing the 20yrs was removed. so "Authorities said Alexander needed to be prosecuted bec

"Authorities said Alexander needed to be prosecuted because she fired in the direction of a room where children were standing"

The same 'take it through the courts' should be done to authorities. For example police that throw flash bangs into homes, police that fire weapons- every instance of weapon use needs to be taken through the public courts.

[Judi Lynn]

16. I'd like to see how any of the racist keyboard commandos who troll here would hold up

after that kind of constant threat, continual fear, repeating violence, with the futures of children to try to protect, as the violence escalates from the violent partner.

Keep the racism and the misogyny to yourselves. 'The world has heard it all before from self-obsessed, infantile men who refuse to take responsibility for their behavior. Right-wingers are all about hating both women and people of other backgrounds. They come unglued when they can hate both race and gender in one person. Nothing will hold them back, or muffle their pompous, haughty, hate spew.

They should all head on over to Free Republic, to seek the comfort of each others' Cheetos-colored arms and heaving shoulders.

[hack89]

21. You are over looking some key facts

Last edited Tue Nov 25, 2014, 04:25 PM - Edit history (1)

she hadn't lived with him for months and returned to the house on her own accord (she went to pick up some things while the house was empty and then decided to spend the night instead of leaving). She did not have custody of the kids - they were living with him. When she shot, she shot so close to her kids that they testified that they thought they were going to die. After the shooting, she violated a restraining order forbidding contact with him - she then assaulted him and was arrested for assault.

Their relationship is a lot more complicated than you want to believe.

[Odin2005]

18. She forgot that SYG was only for whites so they could murder black people.

[ManiacJoe]

22. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Research by the Florida media shows that blacks are more successful with SYG claims than whites.

[lark]

19. LIARS!!!

They could care less about the children. This woman is being convicted for the sin of protecting herself against a man instead of just meekly submitting to more beatings as she should.

No white man in FL would be convicted under these circumstances, none. Women, especially of color, have a completely different set of rules. WE aren't allowed to defend ourselves.

[SenoritaBonita]

20. stand your ground laws ...

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/florida-stand-your-ground-law-yields-some-shocking-outcomes-depending-on/1233133
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/when_stand_your_ground_fails

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/18/stand-your-ground-for-black-man/

[Township75]

25. I thought SYG was a racist law. Now we want it apllied

No SYG now. No SYG ever!