Justin enters no contendere plea
Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 4:15 pm
Justin has entered a plea of no contendere to the Lee County District Court on the charge of attempted escape and causing bodily harm to a TYC employee. As part of the plea, the court will conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the attempted escape before issuing a sentence. Justin and his family are hoping the court will consider Justin’s state of mind at the time of the attempted escape, after nearly four years of incarceration and what they beleive were deliberate attempts on the part of TYC staff to extend his stay another five years, until his 21st birthday. They also hope the court will consider the circumstances of Justin’s confession to his original offense—according to his family, Justin was pulled out of school and questioned by police officers for eight hours, during which he was persuaded to confess to incidents and details that never happened, and was told that if he did not sign his confession he would never see his mother again.
Justin’s sentencing is expected in January.
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