Ohio teen gets lighter sentence in attempted murder case after victim intervenes
5/3/2014CANTON, Ohio — A young Ohio man changed his mind about going to trial for attempted murder, instead pleading guilty to a lesser charge after his alleged victim intervened.
Eighteen-year-old Craig Burgess of Canton would have faced 11 years in prison had he been convicted at trial, set to begin Thursday.
But his alleged victim, Bill Fowler, talked the teen into pleading guilty to felonious assault and asked that he get a light sentence.
The Repository reports that Burgess was sentenced to four years in prison, with a chance for early release after three months.
Burgess was accused of plotting to rob and kill Fowler, his mother’s former boyfriend and the man he considers his father.
Fowler says Burgess isn’t a bad kid and just needs a chance to straighten his life out.