Florida's Marissa Alexander Accepts Guilty Plea, To be Released in January

 

After fighting hard and serving more than 1,000 days in jail, Marissa Alexander will finally be free to go home and continue on with her life in January. And while it’s still not fair when you consider that Alexander should never have been thrown in jail in the first place, it’s much better than the possible 60 years she could have received if her trial was retried.

Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in 2012 for firing what she said was a ‘warning shot’ at then-husband Rico Gray after he abused her. The 20 years was a mandatory minimum as part of Florida’s 10-20-Life laws for crimes that involve firearms. She tried to use the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law as part of her defense, but it didn’t work for her case.
News reports state, as part of the plea deal, Alexander had to plead guilty to the three aggravated assault charges against her. She was also given three years in prison as part of that deal, which she has already served 1,030 days in jail.  She will only have to do 65 days–hence her release on January 27.

According to First Coast News, Alexander will have to be under community control or house arrest following her release, but it wasn’t specified for how long. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s reported that one of the aggravated assault charges is still an ‘open plea,’ so at a hearing on January 27, she could be sentenced and made to return to jail for five years. But for now, she knows that she will be released and free by early next year.