Marcos Camargo was charged with First-Degree Murder in 2009. The State alleged that a firearm was used in the case, making it so that if Mr. Camargo was found guilty, an additional 25 years would be added to a sentence that ranges from 20-60 years. Further complicating the matter is that in the State of Illinois, a person sentenced on a First-Degree Murder charge would have to serve 100% of his sentence before he can be paroled.
During the three years the case was pending, Chuck Bretz & Associates were able to discredit the State's witnesses, many of whom had criminal records, and contradict the State's theory of the case by taking detailed measurements of the crime scene and photographs and showing the near impossibility of the State's account of the case.
These efforts led to the State making an offer to Mr. Camargo to plead guilty to a lesser charge, Second-Degree Murder, in exchange for 14 years in the Department of Corrections. Unlike First-Degree, a person serving a sentence on Second-Degree only has to served 50% of the sentence, so the maximum time Mr. Camargo will be in custody for is 7 years.
"The plea agreement offered a tremendous opportunity for Mr. Camargo to avoid the risks of a trial and the harsh sentence that would follow if Marcos was convicted,” Mr. Bretz said. “This result is a great win for us.”
Read more about the case here.