Mistrial, Hung Jury - Raven Abaroa Murder in the 1st

[TigerBalm]

So what did the judge sentence him--95-123 months with credit for time served while waiting?

Yes! That is correct. 7.92 yrs to 10.25 yrs

 

[guera]

Yep, 95-123 months including time served.

And Raven took his final statement to proclaim that he is somehow the victim here - he didn't get a fair trial! The second one wouldn't be fair either! He's the victim and HAS to take this plea!

Quick, everybody play your sad violins for the true victim in this murder case! :banghead:

 

[TigerBalm]

Yep, 95-123 months including time served.

And Raven took his final statement to proclaim that he is somehow the victim here - he didn't get a fair trial! The second one wouldn't be fair either! He's the victim and HAS to take this plea!

Quick, everybody play your sad violins for the true victim in this murder case! :banghead:

:violin: for the :devil: :jail:

 

[borndem]

Well, the Alford Plea got him this:

"Under an Alford plea, Raven Abaroa will be sentenced to 95 to 123 months in prison for the crime. In an Alford plea, a defendant pleads guilty, while maintaining his or her innocence, and admits it is in his or her best interest to plea because there is sufficient evidence of guilt."

from: http://www.wral.com/abaroa-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-charge-in-wife-s-2005-death-/13471779/

 

[borndem]

So what did the judge sentence him--95-123 months with credit for time served while waiting?

I'm thinking the Alford Plea changes the way sentences can be applied.

Considering what the Statutes say, his sentence -- I'm glad to say -- is worse. Still not enuff, but at least he's gonna be in a state :jail: .

 

[NCEast]

He's despicable. I am beginning to detest each of these wife murderers more and more with each trial. At least G. Hayes was half crazy... if that's any excuse.

Thank goodness his attorneys are smart and gave him good advice although I would much rather know he's in there for life with no chance of parole.

Well, yall let me know where you're going to be next since this one resolved itself.

I'm thinking the Alford Plea changes the way sentences can be applied.

Considering what the Statutes say, his sentence -- I'm glad to say -- is worse. Still not enuff, but at least he's gonna be in a state :jail: .

 

[Jewels53]

I this going on today? I have been busy this morning and just saw a tweet.

 

[geevee]

I this going on today? I have been busy this morning and just saw a tweet.

It's all done but you can watch the whole thing on the wral link above Jewels, it lasts 52 minutes.

ETA: Here's the video link:

http://www.wral.com/news/video/13471818/

 

[Nymeria]

I was prepping to settle in for this one too.
Not sure how I feel about this plea, but at least he will have to serve time.

As NC asked....where is everyone headed next?

 

[Madeleine74]

He's getting off easy and is lucky the state of NC was loathe to take him to trial again. They must have really wanted to avoid a 2nd trial to offer him another plea bargain. It's better than nothing, but it's not justice for Janet. And, it will put him back out on the streets where this sociopath will be able to inflict more violence on another woman. Remember his second wife and how he was violent with her too? If I'm her, I am not happy with this plea agreement.

 

[terminatrixator]

I feel that Mani was very professional today. Tyndall is smart to have her on his team, too bad he hasn't learned professionalism from her.

I have to say that I have lost any and all respect for Tyndall. When the family of Janet Christiansen were speaking, he was disrespectful. The looks he gave, the eye rolls, the way he acted was completely disrespectful. He should be ashamed of how he acted, then again he defended a MURDERING SOCIOPATH AND A COWARD.

Raven Abaroa is a COWARD. He is guilty, period. I truly believe that Raven would have been found 100% guilty this time. Life without the possibility of parole is what he should have received.

Raven is a coward, it's all ABOUT him. He felt that "this wasn't the time or place" to respond to what the family said today? When is a good time Raven? He's not even REMOTELY INNOCENT.

I feel sorry for the world when this murdering scum bag gets out. I'm so glad that I got to see him stand there in the Orange Jumpsuit. I am glad that he's leaving Jail and he's heading to Prison. Prison is where he belongs and I hope that every single day in PRISON he thinks about what he did to Janet, what he did to her family, what he did to his son and what he did to Janet's unborn child.

Raven did this and I knew he take the cowards way out.

I am sure that Karen is spinning this about her "godlike" son, but I know that those close to Raven and his family know the real truth. He killed Janet and their unborn child because he is evil. God help anyone that dates Raven after he gets out of Prison.

 

[JusticeFever]

It makes me sick that he will someday walk out of there a free man, but then again, don't we have to ask why the state did not go forward with a new trial? There was only 1 holdout.
Why did NC even offer this man a plea?

 

[terminatrixator]

He has a prior felony, he's was a convicted embezzler. He's also a sexual predator, a thief, a con man, and a murder.

 

[borndem]

As to his sentence - RA does have one felony (embezzlement) charge against him already. I don't know how many felony points that conviction would "buy" him. I'll see if I can find out. It's a Class H felony which is not a "severe" type felony, but it's worth something...

 

[borndem]

Well, it's interesting...

A Class H felony is worth 2 points, so with 2 points, a Class D felony has these sentence ranges:

Mitigated:...........44--59 months
Presumptive:.......59--73
Aggravated:........73--92

Hmmmmm.

Did the judge add-on the "new" Class D felony he received today? If so, a Class D felony is 6 points. So, adding the points, RA would now have 8 felony points.

Mitigated:...........51---67 months
Presumptive:.......67---84
Aggravated:........84--105

Hmmmmm again..

It just must have been a special deal. IANAL, dunno.

The Raven still got a great deal, IMO. He won't be in there long unless he misbehaves... Can he be a good boy for a few years? He's got quite a temper, ya know.

Ennyway -- here's where it all is documented:

http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Councils/spac/Documents/sstrainingmanual_09.pdf

 

[JusticeFever]

Okay, but still why offer a deal when the state was sooooo close to getting a conviction the last time?
The vote was 11-1 Guilty, If not for one lone juror, Raven Abaroa would never see the light of day again.
I don't understand what the state was thinking and no one has an explanation.

 

[borndem]

I think it may have come out of the DA's office -- dunno why. JMHO.

 

[Madeleine74]

Okay, but still why offer a deal when the state was sooooo close to getting a conviction the last time?
The vote was 11-1 Guilty, If not for one lone juror, Raven Abaroa would never see the light of day again.
I don't understand what the state was thinking and no one has an explanation.

The state was probably thinking --

1. Yeah we were so close last time but what if there's another hung jury again. Durham can't afford a third trial & we'd have to let him go.

2. The guy is so guilty but there's no guarantee we'll get a conviction and we only get one more shot because of budget pressure. A plea is better than nothing.

3. It's expensive to try a case and we have a lot of other cases to take to trial.

4. Taxpayer pressure to not waste money and an always-limited budget is forcing us to clear the dockets, if we can. And a plea will keep this guy off the streets for some amount of years and he'll always have a felony record.

 

[terminatrixator]

I myself am sad that they didn't retry it, but for the family's sake, I'm glad that now Raven will always be known as a convicted Murderer.

I hope the family can finally get some peace and my prayers are with the family and especially Mrs. Christiansen who has been battling breast cancer since BEFORE the first trial. As I understand it, she had to put off treatment because of the first trial and then didn't start after the last trial because of the new trial date and then that kept getting changed.

None of the Christiansens are from North Carolina. They live all over the United States. Year after year having to fly into NC or drive into NC to meet with LE or the various DA's and Prosecutors, all the hearings, the exhumation, a six week trial, more hearings, living out of hotels, while having breast cancer and having to do it again. This has been their lives since 2005 on top of their grief and loss of their daughter.

Until Raven was arrested, they never rested looking for answers waiting for Justice, Raven blew through girls, women, money, jobs, cons, living fat and large, having fun not searching for his wife's killer, he did NOTHING, not even visiting his wife's grave.

Janet's family has lived this, 4 years in Jail was nothing for Raven and I'm hoping 4 years in Prison he'll be kicking himself when he realizes that Divorce would have been a better option.

This family deserves some peace and healing for sure. I just worry about the next family's life that gets ruined when Raven gets out.

 

[terminatrixator]

The state was probably thinking --

1. Yeah we were so close last time but what if there's another hung jury again. Durham can't afford a third trial & we'd have to let him go.

2. The guy is so guilty but there's no guarantee we'll get a conviction and we only get one more shot because of budget pressure. A plea is better than nothing.

3. It's expensive to try a case and we have a lot of other cases to take to trial.

4. Taxpayer pressure to not waste money and an always-limited budget is forcing us to clear the dockets, if we can. And a plea will keep this guy off the streets for some amount of years and he'll always have a felony record.

I agree.