NJ Appellate Court Upholds Sexual Assault Conviction of Ex-Firefighter in Hackensack, New Jersey
A state appellate court recently upheld the sexual assault conviction of a former firefighter in Hackensack, New Jersey.
The 42-year-old suspect allegedly assaulted the 13-year-old victim while her mother was asleep in a nearby room. According to Bergen County NJ prosecutors, the victim’s mother was sleeping while she recovered from surgery.
When the mother became aware of the sex crime against her daughter, she called the suspect and allegedly recorded him admitting to the sexual offense.
In 2013, a jury found the suspect guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual contact, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
After the suspect was convicted, he received a sentence of 10 years in New Jersey State Prison on the sexual assault charges. Additionally, the superior court judge imposed a sentence of 4 years on the child endangerment charges. Since the sentences were set to run consecutively, the defendant was effectively sentenced to a total of 14 years in state prison.
The defendant appealed his convictions and argued in front of a New Jersey appellate court that the prosecutor’s closing statement at the original trial improperly influenced the jury. However, the appellate court rejected the argument and upheld the convictions.
Although the appellate court upheld the convictions, it did rule that the consecutive sentences imposed by the superior court judge should be reconsidered. The case was returned to the Bergen County Superior Court so that the judge could consider merging the two sentences.
To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Ex-Firefighter’s Teen Sex Assault Conviction Upheld.”
