Man gets 45 years in 2004 Granite City murder

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

www.stltoday.com/news/...d37fa.html

Quote::

EDWARDSVILLE • A judge on Wednesday tacked on the 25 years Brian Pinkas argued were missing from his original sentence for fatally shooting his girlfriend in their Granite City home on Valentine's Day 2004.

Pinkas, 52, originally pleaded guilty in 2005 and was sentenced to 20 years in the shooting death of Sharon Reynolds, but was granted a new trial after successfully arguing to an appellate court that he should have received more time.

A first-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of between 20 and 60 years in prison. If the crime is carried out using a firearm, as in the case of Reynolds' death, a mandatory 25 years is supposed to be added to the sentence.

The unusual tactic got Pinkas the new trial after several failed attempts at appeal.

During the second trial in September, Tyler Bateman of the public defender's office argued that while Pinkas shot Reynolds, he thought the gun didn't work, and that Pinkas' actions merely rose to the level of involuntary manslaughter.

But the gamble backfired, and a jury found Pinkas guilty of first-degree murder.

Madison County Circuit Court Associate Judge James Hackett added there were no mitigating factors in announcing his sentence, the minimum allowed for the crime.

Pinkas will get credit for time already served, which means he would leave prison at 89.

Dimitri

SingleShotLover

Glad to see he got what he deserved, but a classic case of "should have quit while he was ahead..."