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Six Years For Boyfriend Killer
posted (November 9, 2012)
It is an interesting study in contrasts that yesterday Lavern Longsworth was sent to prison for life for killing her common law - while today a man who killed his ex-wife's new boyfriend got six years in jail. The circumstances are clearly different, but the contrast in sentences is also stark.

38 year-old Alvaro Gregorio, the man who was convicted of killing his estranged wife's lover, 37 year-old Roberto Jimenez Juarez Marroquin, will serve 6 years more in jail.

Gregorio was convicted last week Thursday, after a jury of 12 convicted him of a lesser charge of manslaughter after 5 hours of deliberation.

In the trial, evidence came out that on October 8, 2008, Gregorio allegedly went to his wife's home and was talking to her when Marroquin arrived 15 minutes later. The men argued, and Gregorio stabbed Marroquin in the chest with a kitchen knife, causing him to bleed to death.

In his mitigation hearing today before Justice Troadio Gonzalez, both Gregorio and his attorney, Simeon Sampson addressed the court.

Sampson reminded the court that this was Gregorio's first conviction. He also told the court that under the circumstances, as described by Gregorio in his dock statement, the fatal wound was inflicted due to a fight and in self-defence.

Gregorio added in mitigation that he is the sole breadwinner for his 3 children, and he asked for leniency. Justice Gonzalez, after considering all the factors, decided that Gregorio will spend 6 years in prison to commence from today's date. He took into consideration that Gregorio spent 4 years on remand while awaiting trial.

Gregorio was initially charged with murder, but he was convicted of manslaughter.

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