A man in New Jersey was recently sentenced to federal prison for engaging in criminal activity involving a weapon. He received a sentence of 7.5 years behind bars. Gun crimes are serious, which is why having a strong criminal defense is expedient for those facing criminal charges involving these weapons in the Garden State.
In the case of the man who was recently sentenced, police said they witnessed him display a gun to another man. The first man, 27, had obtained the weapon from underneath a car’s passenger seat. Two children had been exiting and entering the car at the time as they frolicked nearby.
After the first man displayed the gun, the children and the second man went into the car. Then, the first man fled as police approached. Authorities ended up discovering this man’s weapon, a 9-mm handgun, underneath his seat. He ended up pleading guilty to having a weapon despite being a convicted felon.
Anyone accused of committing gun crimes in New Jersey has the right to proceed to trial. There, prosecutors must prove the defendant’s charges beyond a reasonable doubt before any conviction can be handed down. This standard is in place with the goal of protecting innocent people from being convicted of crimes they did not commit.
Rather than going to trial to fight charges related to gun crimes, however, a defendant may choose to seek to negotiate a plea deal. The benefit of a plea agreement is that it may result in a lighter sentence than what would result following a guilty verdict at trial. Either way, an attorney will push for the best outcome for the defendant in light of the circumstances surrounding his or her criminal case in New Jersey.