Plea deal offered in slaying that inflamed uptown Charlotte Protests
By AP | Tribune News Service | July 19, 2017CHARLOTTE — Rayquan Borum, accused of a fatal shooting that further inflamed the uptown demonstrations in September, is considering an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to second-degree murder and avoid a potential life behind bars, his attorney says.
Police say Borum has confessed to the shooting. His attorney, Terry Sherrill, described the death as a “terrible accident” on Wednesday.
Some community activists continue to argue that Carr died from a rubber bullet fired by police outside the Omni hotel. Police say no rubber bullets were used that night, and forensic experts contacted by the Charlotte Observer say a rubber projectile would not have caused the fatal damage to Carr’s skull and brain.
Now, according to Sherrill, Borum must decide before his
Aug. 17 arraignment whether to accept an offer from Assistant District Attorney Clayton Jones to plead guilty to second-degree murder and avoid a trial. If convicted of first-degree murder, Borum would serve a mandatory life sentence without parole.
According to Sherrill, Jones’ plea offer comes with a “substantial” prison sentence for Borum. He said the facts of the case point toward the lesser charge of manslaughter.
“But that offer hasn’t been made, and I have been given no indication that will be made,” Sherrill said. “(Jones) told me that they have offered the best he feels he can do, maybe even the best he’s willing to do.”
Borum, he said, “has not made up his mind” about the offer. “But there are some things we need to see together ... that may help him get close to a decision.”
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