A man has pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of first-degree criminal use of a firearm and one count of second-degree criminal trespass, in regards to the shooting of his brother-in-law, as reported by the Niagara Gazette.
T.D., 44, was originally "not interested" in the plea deal according to his defense attorney. However, two weeks before the jury selection was set to begin, T.D. accepted the deal.
T.D. allegedly shot his brother-in-law over a "business dispute" according to investigators.
The plea deal allowed T.D. to avoid facing additional charges in a second indictment. The charges in that case included T.D. attempting to hire a hit man to kill both his brother-in-law and a witness to an earlier crime. T.D. allegedly tried to hire the hit man while he was remanded in Niagara County Jail. The charges in that case included four counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, two counts of conspiracy and two counts of criminal solicitation.
In the current case First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffman, in regards to a recommendation of jail time, said, "Based on my thorough review of the case and conversations with the lawyers in this case, the court is committing to a range of 15 to 25 years (in prison for the defendant)."
When Niagara County Court Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas asked T.D. if he had intended to kill his brother-in-law T.D. answered, "No." Judge Farkas then told the court "We don't have a plea."
Defense attorney Earl Key then took a moment to speak to T.D. and said to the judge, "I explained the law to him and what it requires (him to admit)." Judge Farkas asked the same question and this time T.D. answered, "Yes."
T.D.'s brother-in-law was in court and told reporters that T.D. "got what he deserved." He also said that "there was no business deal" that prompted the shooting.
On March 26 T.D. allegedly shot his brother-in-law while the man stood in the doorway of his new business on Hyde Park Boulevard. The gunfire landed in his upper chest area, nearest to his shoulder.
The victim identified T.D. as the shooter immediately following the attack. Police stopped T.D. a few days later and discovered what they described as an "arsenal" inside his car: a fully automatic rifle and several loaded ammunition clips. T.D. himself was armed with a semi-automatic 9-mm Baretta handgun; he wore the weapon in a holster under his shirt.
There was a possibility that T.D. was to be charged with crimes related to the New York SAFE Act – however the restrictions put on weapons and possession of a "large capacity ammunition feeding device" were not in place at the time of his arrest.
If you have been charged with anything from murder to simple shoplifting, no matter how serious the charges are the first thing you must do is contact a criminal defense attorney. No other type of attorney will know the best way to proceed with a plea or a plea deal.
