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An area felony justice advocate, responsible of vandalizing the Downtown Detention Heart whereas it was below building and planting weapons within the partitions, is asking for leniency in sentencing, claiming he dedicated the act out of worry.
In a seven web page letter, filed by his lawyer, Alex Friedmann apologized for his actions, accepted accountability as the only conspirator and provided a proof for the crime.
“Some who’ve adopted my profession thought that I’ll have been arrange or duped into collaborating in a plot involving the jail. That was not the case,” he wrote. “Legislation enforcement officers have concluded that I used to be planning a mass escape, or armed riot on the DDC. That can be incorrect, although their assumption is definitely comprehensible.”
As a substitute, Friedmann mentioned, his actions have been motivated by an irrational worry — worry that he could be incarcerated once more and “gang raped,” like he mentioned he skilled when he was 18 and jailed on a theft cost.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Corridor is not shopping for it.
“For him to painting himself as a sufferer is insulting,” the sheriff mentioned by telephone Friday. “I do not consider him.”
What was Alex Friedmann’s felony cost? What occurred at his trial?
Friedmann was arrested in early 2020 after he was caught on video surveillance impersonating a building contractor, stealing two keys and hiding three firearms and quite a few blades within the facility.
He was initially charged with felony vandalism in reference to the case.
On the time of his arrest, Friedmann was the managing editor of Jail Authorized Information. He was often quoted in information tales about jail reform. And he served because the affiliate director of the Human Rights Protection Heart, a nonprofit which advocates for prisoner rights.
Throughout Friedmann’s trial, his attorneys told the jury their client was guilty, however accused the state of overcharging him. Prosecutors with the Davidson County District Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned his crimes value the county greater than $250,000 to rekey the power and pay additional time for workers to assessment 1000’s of hours of video footage.
A jury discovered Friedmann responsible of felony vandalism. He faces between 25 and 40 years in a Tennessee jail. In August, Friedmann pleaded guilty to a federal charge of gun possession in reference to the identical case.
Friedmann is to look in courtroom Oct. 6 to find his destiny.
How have been hidden weapons found? ‘We did all of the arduous work’
Ben Raybin, Friedmann’s lawyer, filed a sentencing memorandum forward of the October listening to. Within the submitting, he particulars a number of mitigating components — Friedmann’s a long time as an upstanding citizen, his advocacy work and unresolved trauma− the reason why be believes his shopper ought to be afforded a punishment on the decrease finish of the vary.
Accompanying the filings have been over a dozen letters of assist from mates, lecturers, legal professionals, clergy and his spouse, Alice.
Raybin additionally wrote that Friedmann was forthcoming and supplied an accounting of what contraband was inside the power, serving to authorities full their search. Throughout trial, his protection workforce famous, it turned obvious some gadgets had not been positioned. Friedmann provided to reveal the placement of the gadgets.
Once more, Corridor, annoyed by the current filings, mentioned that merely isn’t true.
“We did all of the arduous work,” Corridor mentioned. “He returned the keys as a result of we caught him with them. We discovered these weapons as a result of we reviewed that video footage. He is solely going to inform you what we already know and take credit score for it.”
Because the trial, Corridor mentioned no additional contraband has been found within the partitions of the power.
Sheriff: ‘His credibility is lower than zero’
Friedmann wrote that he instructed only a few folks of the rapes.
“I didn’t wish to reveal it even now, however my attorneys insisted it was mandatory to offer context to what occurred a lot later with respect to my actions on the DDC,” the letter reads.
Friedmann wrote that in 2018 he visited the outdated jail the place he was held to take photographs for documentation functions earlier than it was demolished, but in addition to go to the cell the place the rapes occurred.
“I had hoped the go to would supply closure for probably the most traumatic expertise of my life. I used to be incorrect, because it had the other impact,” the letter reads. “I started having intense flashbacks of after I was raped, reliving it time and again.”
Corridor known as Friedmann’s story a “fascinating phantasm,” including “his credibility is lower than zero.” If he was solely hiding the contraband to guard himself, Corridor requested rhetorically, why did he have 21 further weapons — together with a grenade launcher and assault rifles — locked away?
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