A New Jersey appeals court recently upheld the conviction of a homeless man on burglary charges in Westville, NJ.
The 30-year-old suspect pleaded guilty to burglary in 2009. The charges stemmed from a break-in at a Westville NJ residence.
When the defendant accepted the plea deal in 2009, he was sentenced to 1 year in Gloucester County Jail. The defendant was also required to be placed on probation after his release from custody.
The defendant completed his sentence in 2010. However, he ended up filing a formal appeal because he did not believe that his attorney fairly and adequately represented him throughout the plea negotiations.
According to the defendant, his lawyer pressured him into accepting the prosecutor’s offer and pleading guilty. The suspect also claimed that his lawyer failed to seek the suppression of important photographic evidence that could be used against him in the case.
Now a New Jersey appeals court has rejected the defendant’s appeal and affirmed the ruling handed down by the Gloucester County Superior Court.
The appellate court held that the defendant had been adequately informed of the consequences of his plea deal before he officially accepted the deal in open court.
Moreover, the appellate judges said that there was no evidence that the defendant’s lawyer had impermissibly influenced the defendant to accept the plea deal.
Remarkably, the suspect was arrested again in late 2011 on burglary charges and drug charges out of Camden County. As a result of the new charges, the suspect spent another 2 years in jail. He was finally released – again – in March 2014.
For further information about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Appeal Denied in Westville Burglary Conviction.”
