A guy convicted of trying to choke to death the mother of his children got a bad break during sentencing, according to Maine’s highest court.
The Maine Supremes said that the prison sentence given convicted attempted murderer Irineu Goncalves was too harsh.
The high court ruled that the sentencing judge improperly blamed Goncalves for also assaulting a Waterville hotel clerk.
The supremes said there was no evidence he assaulted the clerk who was present as he tried to kill his beloved.
So it sent Goncalves back to the lower court for resentencing on his original crime – wrapping his hands around the neck of the mother of his two children, squeezing so hard she lost consciousness in a parking lot behind the hotel.
The convicted Goncalves failed to show the jury that he was in a “trauma response” that left him unaware of his actions when he attacked her.
The alleged trauma stemmed from her trying to hit him with her car after telling him he wouldn’t be able to see their kids again, his attorney argued.
