NEWARK, N.J. – An attorney for the final defendant in one of New Jersey's most notorious murder cases is arguing for his client to be spared a life sentence without parole.
Gerardo Gomez was one of six men and boys charged with murdering three college-bound friends behind Newark's Mount Vernon School in 2007. A jury convicted him last November on multiple counts including murder and attempted murder.
Attorney Michael Robbins argued at Gomez's sentencing Wednesday morning that Gomez, who was 15 on the night of the murders, should receive a shorter sentence because of his age and because he didn't wield a knife or gun used in the attacks.
Four other defendants are serving multiple consecutive life sentences. The fifth received 30 years in exchange for testifying against Gomez and others.
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