Recent Success Story in Burlington County Superior Court
I represented a client this week charged with aggravated assault in Burlington County Superior Court. The defendant allegedly recklessly discharged his firearm in his home which led to his roommate being shot in the forearm. My client is an active member of the United States Air Force and lawfully possessed the weapon. However, he was charged with aggravated assault under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b)(3) for recklessly causing an injury to another. This is a fourth degree charge and the plea offer was eighteen (18) months in prison without parole.
After an initial investigation, it became very clear that my client did not shoot the alleged victim in the arm but rather the alleged victim shot himself in the forearm. This was an alcohol related incident and the alleged victim told the police that the defendant shot him in the arm accidentally when he was cleaning the gun because the alleged victim assumed my client would not be prosecuted and the alleged victim was concerned that he would get into trouble based on the fact that he did not have a permit for this firearm and it was not his gun. Based on this investigation and the alleged victim changing his story, I was able to negotiate a significant downgrade of the charge to a petty disorderly persons offense of creating a hazardous condition. My client paid a fine and the case is now resolved. This was a tremendous result for the client who was facing eighteen (18) months in prison and who was able to avoid a felony charge on his record.
How many jurors were present for this case?