Tag: Alford plea

Feel Good Story of the Day: Dewey Bozella Comes Full Circle and Wins Boxing Debut at 52

(Video courtesy of YouTube/ESPN)

If you haven’t been following the amazing story of Dewey Bozella, take 12 minutes and get caught up on backstory above and come back and we’ll discuss it.

Okay, now that we’re all up to speed, if you missed it, on October 15 Bozella, who amazingly says he holds no grudge for being incarcerated for nearly 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit even though the police in the case actually buried evidence, made his professional boxing debut on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson undercard.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/ESPN)

If you haven’t been following the amazing story of Dewey Bozella, take 12 minutes and get caught up on backstory above and come back and we’ll discuss it.

Okay, now that we’re all up to speed, if you missed it, on October 15 Bozella, who amazingly says he holds no grudge for being incarcerated for nearly 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit even though the police in the case actually buried evidence, made his professional boxing debut on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson undercard.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/fbbcvideos)

Bozella, who has maintained his innocence since his arrest, rejecting an Alford plea that would have seen him released on probation a decade ago for admitting he had slain an elderly woman, only had one dream besides being exonerated and that was to compete in at least one professional boxing match before he died. He made that dream a reality against 30-year-old cruiserweight Larry Hopkins at Staples Center.

Bozella won the bout by unanimous decision after an outmatched Hopkins repeatedly spit out his mouthguard in an effort to have the referee disqualify him. Instead, the official made Hopkins gut out the fight and take his punishment like a man rather than offering him an easy way out of the bout, paralleling Bozella’s path the past 30 years.

For Bozella, who used boxing as an outlet for his anger and resentment while in prision, the bout represented the culmination of his lifelong fight to prove he wasn’t a killer. Definitely a feel good story of forgiveness,moving forward and not dwelling on the negatives in life for a Monday afternoon.

Dewey’s story makes most of our day-to-day problems seem trivial by comparison.

Bozella won the 2011 ESPN Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in July.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/ESPN)

 

Whitehead Enters Alford ‘No-Contest’ Plea, Faces Two to 20 Years in Jail at January 19 Sentencing


(Whitehead posing with his attorney outside the courtroom after today’s hearing.)

Mike Whitehead made an Alford plea of “no-contest” to felony charges of attempted sexual assault in Nevada State court today and could face between two and 20 years in State prison at his January 19 sentencing. The minimum jail term for the “category b” offence is 2 years, which could mean Whitehead may get out after a year and change on good behavior. This may not seem like a positive for a man facing jail time, but considering he was originally arrested on charges of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, open and gross lewdness and also faced possible drug charges involving 40 marijuana plants found growing in his home, “Iron Mike” is likely counting his blessings that State prosecutors accepted his lawyer’s plea deal for the lesser charge.


(Whitehead posing with his attorney outside the courtroom after today’s hearing.)

Mike Whitehead made an Alford plea of “no-contest” to felony charges of attempted sexual assault in Nevada State court today and could face between two and 20 years in State prison at his January 19 sentencing. The minimum jail term for the “category b” offence is 2 years, which could mean Whitehead may get out after a year and change on good behavior. This may not seem like a positive for a man facing jail time, but considering he was originally arrested on charges of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, open and gross lewdness and also faced possible drug charges involving 40 marijuana plants found growing in his home, “Iron Mike” is likely counting his blessings that State prosecutors accepted his lawyer’s plea deal for the lesser charge.

For those not familiar with what an Alford plea is, there was another high profile case recently that cast a light on the procedure.

The West Memphis Three entered a similar plea, which basically is like saying, “I am not admitting guilt, however given the facts or testimony against me, I don’t believe I can win this case,” before entering a plea of “no contest” to the charges last month to charges that they murdered a trio of boys back in 1993 when the accused were teenagers and were released minutes later after having served 17 years in prison for crimes they have maintained they did not commit. The case was based solely on circumstantial evidence and testimony.The term was coined for a 1970 plea by Henry Alford who was on trial for murder at the time and was facing the death penalty. The rationale behind the plea is to save the court the time and hassle of a lengthy court case and to hopefully receive a lesser punishment as a result, while allowing the accused to maintain his or her innocence.

Under Whitehead’s negotiated agreement, the state will make no recommendation at the time of sentencing, providing he is not found through psycho-sexual testing to be a high-risk offender, in which case he will be eligible for probation. Whitehead’s weapons that were confiscated by Metro Police will also be forfeited.