A man from Paterson NJ is headed to prison for a very long time after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter charges in connection with the killing of two minors.
The suspect is a Paterson man who shot and killed two kids in Paterson. According to Passaic County prosecutors, the suspect used a handgun to fire numerous gunshots at a van parked in Paterson, New Jersey.
One of the bullets ricocheted off the van and struck a 12-year-old girl who was riding on a scooter. At the time of her death, the young victim was heading to a family gathering at a local Paterson residence.
The other homicide victim was a 16-year-old boy who also lived in Paterson. He was reportedly the intended target of the suspect. Law enforcement officials said that the suspect, and another man, went after the victim after getting into an earlier altercation with him.
The Paterson suspect ultimately avoided trial in Passaic County Superior Court by reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. The suspect pleaded guilty to criminal charges for aggravated manslaughter. In exchange for the suspect s guilty plea, Passaic County NJ prosecutors agreed to drop other charges for first degree murder and criminal weapons offenses.
Now the suspect has been officially sentenced in the case. A superior court judge sentenced the suspect to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison on the aggravated manslaughter charges. If the suspect had been convicted of first degree murder, he would have faced life imprisonment.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Killer of 2, Including 12-Year-Old on Scooter, Gets Prison.”
