Night Out Killing Results in Six-Year Sentence
Sunday, March 10, 2013 • 11:00am
PATERSON, NJ - An immigrant who fatally shot a Paterson man after a National Night Out party in 2010 faces a maximum of six years in prison under a sentence that requires him to serve at least three years of the term.
In a trial in January, Marlon Rochester's lawyer acknowledged he shot and killed 38-year-old Robert Godfrey, but contended that the homicide was accidental while he was trying to defend himself. Rochester was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges but convicted of a weapons offense that resulted in the jail term.
Rochester already has served about two-and-a-half years in jail since his arrest and could become eligible for parole in another six months, according to attorneys in the case. An immigrant from Haiti, he may be deported when he gets out of jail, the lawyers said.
The victim's family has questioned the verdict and Rochester's assertions that he acted in self-defense.
