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Murder Victim's Father Chokes Killer in Courtroom

posted August 7, 2007 - 12:49pm
Murder Victim's Father Chokes Killer in Courtroom

It is reported in Steubenville, OH that the father of a murder victim dived across the defense table and tried to choke his son’s killer in the courtroom.

A man by the name of Antonio Clifford had pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and tampering with evidence in the shooting death of Joshua Ryan Sweat that took place in 2006. Joshua Sweat tried to buy drugs behind a bar when he was robbed and shot once in the back of the head and died later at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Before sentencing on Monday, August 6th, the judge allowed Sweat’s relatives to stand and read statements. The father approached Clifford and told him that he wanted to show him a picture. He then attacked Clifford and screamed obscenities at him while the police wrestled the father to the ground. The father will not be charged with anything. Clifford was sentenced to 33 years to life in prison and prosecutors chose not to give him the death penalty since he pleaded guilty.



Comments

Frontier Justice

I agree... I just dont think that 33 years is a long time....especially since he wont necessarily even stay in for that amount of time. It seems that they dont even serve half the sentence. I have seen the video of the father in the courtroom. I am not sure I would describe him as screaming obscenities....more like screaming in agony and frustration...incoherently. Maybe 10 minutes in a room with the father would have been a more appropriate sentence... Angel

In the big picture...

What the DA was probably thinking is that he could put the bastard behind bars for a long time with a guilty plea and free up assets to put other criminals behind bars, rather than tie up the courts for what amounts to about the same length sentence. Sometimes, however, it makes me long for a little frontier justice...

Not Enough

Only 33 years..... It is not enough.... OK...so he made a deal not to get the death penalty...what happened to life without parole? Angel

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