Violent crimes are always a concern for Arizona residents. When an assault involves guns, it draws particular attention. This was the case with a Kingman man who was just sentenced to five years in prison for the 2012 shooting of his roommate in a personal dispute.
According to reports, the dispute had been over money and paying bills. The man, 32, had claimed that the shooting had been in self-defense. However, according to the defense attorney, the jury didn't buy that claim. Even reports of the victim allegedly escalating aggression prior to being shot didn't sway the jury.
Correspondingly, the Mojave County jury convicted the man last month. The charge was aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. That verdict was delivered on Feb. 20. The jury was hung regarding a second charge, which was misconduct involving a weapon.
The sentence in the case, five years, was the minimum that the man could have gotten. The judge in the case could have given him a seven and a half year sentence but chose not to. Additionally, the man got credit for the 104 days that he had been in the Mohave County Jail in the months leading up to his sentencing. No comment from the man has been released to the press about his sentence, but he is undoubtedly aware that it is much shorter than it could have been, thanks to the judge giving the minimum sentence.
In Arizona assault cases like this one, sentences can vary substantially. Although the law sets minimums and maximums, judges have a lot of discretion to consider the facts of individual cases. Anyone accused of assault in Arizona can benefit from a legal advocate to increase the favorability of the case's outcome in court.
Source: Daily Miner, "Kingman shooter's sentence: 5 years" No author given, Mar. 23, 2014