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Syracuse
October 27, 2014
Onondaga County prosecutors had agreed to give Romeo Williams a 25-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty to the one-punch death of Jim Gifford.
But County Court Judge Joseph Fahey rejected that deal, leading Williams, 19, to spend 40 years in prison after today’s sentencing.
The revelation today shows how wary lawyers are about going to trial, where they often get all or nothing. Had the jury acquitted Williams of manslaughter in Gifford’s death, the district attorney’s office would have sustained a serious black eye.
As it turned out, prosecutor Robert Moran won a guilty verdict against Williams after the jury deliberated only 90 minutes.
Defense lawyer Eric Jeschke said in court today that Williams would have pleaded guilty before trial if he had been offered 25 years in prison. Moran confirmed the DA’s office had accepted the proposal.
But Fahey refused to sign off on it. That’s what forced both sides to take the case to trial. And now, Williams will spend at least 34 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
Fahey said today he wished he could sentence Williams to prison for the rest of his life, but the law didn’t allow that.
