[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hi, everyone, I'm Dan Abrams, and this is "Court Cam."
- You should be ashamed of yourself.
- I want dude off my case. [spits]
♪ ♪
- Got a runner.
[people yelling]
- Get out!
- This is not TV court. This is for real.
♪ ♪
- First up, we're in Syracuse, New York,
for a sentencing hearing.
24-year-old Chavez Ocasio has pled guilty to second-degree
attempted murder.
Six months earlier, Ocasio and another man,
24-year-old Jesse Outley,
fired five shots from their car
into another vehicle.
The driver of the other car and the front-seat passenger
were unharmed.
But in the back seat, the driver's
4- and 8-year-old daughters were both hit,
as was the 11-month-old daughter
of the front-seat passenger.
The three children were rushed to a hospital.
The two older girls survived the shooting.
The 11-month-old died from her injuries later that night.
Using security footage, police identified Ocasio's car,
and he was arrested.
Ocasio then IDed Outley as the shooter.
He was eventually arrested as well.
Investigators believe Outley fired at the victims
after the two men mistook their car for one
that had sideswiped them earlier that night.
Ocasio was held without bond, ultimately accepted a plea
deal from the prosecution.
In exchange for testimony against Outley,
Ocasio would plead guilty
to second-degree attempted murder.
Today, Ocasio appears before Judge
Gordon Cuffy to enter his plea and hear his sentence.
- That's Desiree Seymore, the mother
of Dior Harris, the infant girl who died in the shooting.
- That's Dior's father, Shaquail Harris.
- No, no. Hey.
- Deputies begin removing Harris from the courtroom.
- After things settle down, the victim's mother
makes her statement.
- I don't expect you to understand how I feel,
nor do I expect any sympathy from you.
But what I do expect is for you to rot in hell.
I want you to understand from the bottom of my heart,
I hate you.
You deserve any and everything you get in prison.
- When she's finished, Ocasio addresses the court.
- I just wanted to say, uh, I understand how--
I understand why the family feels like-- why they feel.
Um--
y'all right.
Y'all didn't deserve this.
I understand that, so I do--
I do apologize.
- When he's finished, Judge Cuffy sentences
Ocasio to 15 years in prison.
He'll be eligible for parole in 2034
when he'll be 36 years old.
As for the shooter, Jesse Outley,
he was convicted of murder, attempted murder,
and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
[dramatic music]
Next, we go to Ann Arbor, Michigan,
for a probation violation hearing.
♪ ♪
84-year-old Dale Newman has pled no contest to assault
and reckless driving.
A year and a half earlier, police
say Newman ignored warnings and drove
through a construction site, cursing at and nearly
hitting some workers.
He was arrested, released on $5,000 bond,
and after a charge of assault with a dangerous
weapon was dismissed, Newman pled no
contest to the other charges.
He was sentenced to one day in jail, which was suspended,
plus 14 months of probation, a mandatory driving class,
and fines of $1,545.
Today, after failing to pay any of his fines,
he appears before Judge Cedric Simpson
to see if his probation will be revoked.
- Newman's represented by public defender Lauren Pereny.
- Mr. Newman is on Social Security.
He receives about $600 a month.
- OK.
- He's not working.
He is 84 years old.
- How old?
- 84. - 84?
♪ ♪
[boing]
[laughter]
- Not the-- not the-- - No.
I would have guessed--
I would have guessed 17.
I just-- I didn't know.
- Well, I try to--
I try to keep busy.
- That's good.
- It's healthy.
- That's good.
- Your Honor, we'd just be asking the court
to consider reducing his fines and costs.
- Pardon?
- Reduce your costs.
- Anything you want to tell me, sir?
- Ah, I mean, I only pled no contest
because I wasn't willing--
I mean, the ladies in black, they said
you can get 20 years for this.
Well, that's a life sentence.
- What? What ladies in black?
- The prosecuting attorney.
- Oh.
- Oh, OK.
Oh, the prosecuting attorney.
- The lawyer, yeah.
- Yeah, they told me, you know,
you could get 20 years for this.
You know, geez.
- When the defendant is finished,
Judge Simpson is ready to make his ruling.
- Here's what we're going to do--
because I'm going to waive all those fines and costs,
except $250.
- I can deal with that.
- OK. Well, good.
I'm glad I can make you happy.
When can you pay the $250?
- Probably within 10 days.
I'll have to make arrangements to find it, but I can do that.
- OK.
I'll extend his probation for an additional two months.
Figure out in two months how to get that paid, OK?
- All right.
- And then you'll pay the $250 within that time frame.
- I appreciate your help.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
♪ ♪
- Newman paid the $250,
and his case is now closed.
- Next, we go to Jonesboro, Georgia,
for a probation violation hearing.
37-year-old Jabari Perry has been convicted of DUI,
leaving the scene of an accident,
driving on the wrong side of the road, and other charges.
Five years earlier, Perry, who's also got convictions
for assault and drug possession
on his record, pled no contest,
was sentenced to a year probation,
and ordered to undergo regular drug and alcohol testing.
♪ ♪
But just 17 days before his probation
was scheduled to end,
Perry tested positive for drugs and alcohol.
And when he missed two probation revocation hearings,
a warrant was issued, and he was arrested.
Today, after serving eight days in jail,
Perry appears before Judge Tammi Hayward
to hear if his probation will be revoked.
The state prosecutor is Darrius Austin.
Perry is represented by Attorney Chelsie Hohn.
- All right.
Ms. Hohn, what are we doing with Mr. Perry?
- Your Honor, he's going to stipulate and agree
to the technical violations.
- All right.
What's the recommendation?
- Your Honor, credit on time served and close this case.
He did complete all his conditions as required.
He just got messed up towards the end.
- Mr. Perry, why did you mess up?
- You?
- Your Honor, he explained to me that he had
gone to a family gathering.
- Oh! Yeah, he went to the cookout.
And they were like, boy, don't even be worried about that.
Uh, you can take some of this cocaine off your nose
and drink some of them drinks.
That judge ain't gon' do nothing to you.
You are almost finished.
Young blood, come on, now.
- Your Honor, he thinks it may have been, like, laced.
- Oh! He may have got a sherm!
- Now, come on, Mr. Perry.
People don't give away cocaine.
People don't just give you drugs, and you find out, what?
Wait a minute.
You put what?
That was laced with what?
Come on now, man.
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I'ma just tell you right now, don't go to no other judge
or person with good common sense
and tell them that foolishness.
- Judge Hayward returns to the prosecutor
and the question of jail time.
- Mr. Austin.
- Yes, ma'am?
- You say credit for time.
How long he been in there?
- He's been in there since May 13.
- That ain't but a day or two.
- But, Your Honor, he's done all of his other requirements.
- Mr. Perry, how old are you, sir?
- Mr. Perry, how long are we going
to play this game where we back-and-forth
on the addiction?
Are you going to seek some help?
Are you going to start going to some Narcotics
Anonymous meetings?
- Start doing that, Mr. Perry, because you
have an addictive personality.
The addiction is not going anywhere.
It is something that you're going to have to fight.
It's lifelong.
It's like having diabetes or high blood pressure.
You got to fight it to--
in order to live a good life.
But if you don't at least try to fight it,
you're going to end up in and out of an orange jumpsuit.
You don't want to live the rest of your life
in and out of an orange jumpsuit.
You don't, OK?
But please stop playing this game with your life,
because I'm going to tell you right now, just between me
and you, not everybody else listening, just between me
and you, the Clayton County Jail ain't safe.
♪ ♪
It just ain't where you want to be, bro.
- When she's finished, Judge Hayward is
prepared to make her ruling.
- All right.
So the defendant shall receive credit for time served.
And what else, Mr. Austin?
- This case is closed, Your Honor.
He only had 17 days remaining.
- All right.
Mr. Perry, please don't come back anytime soon.
Please try and get your life together, OK?
Because you're too young to waste your life on foolishness.
- All right. Thank you, sir.
♪ ♪
- Perry was released from jail,
and his case is now closed.
- Next, we head to Conneaut, Ohio, for a pretrial hearing.
♪ ♪
30-year-old Jenna Peters has been
charged with driving with a suspended
license and expired plates.
A year and a half earlier, Peters
pled guilty to similar charges and was
sentenced to 25 hours of community service
plus court costs and fines.
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Today, she appears without an attorney
before Judge Nicholas Iarocci to discuss
next steps in the case.
But first, the judge wants to talk
about Peters' previous case.
- Before we go on to the new case, Ms. Peters,
you are aware of the other older
case that's pending, right?
- Yeah. Right.
So I gave you five months to complete 25 hours
of community work service.
I set a sentence compliance hearing.
You failed to appear for that hearing.
♪ ♪
You also failed to provide this court
community work service hours.
I issued a bench warrant for your arrest.
I set another sentence compliance hearing,
at which time you appeared.
And again, you did not have the community
work service hours completed.
I again gave you another break to perform community works,
25 hours.
That's not even a work week!
25 hours of community work service.
There's a ton of agencies and organizations
in this community that need help.
And 25 hours is all I gave you.
I gave you another extension.
You failed to provide proof of work service,
failed to appear altogether.
I issued a bench warrant.
I should have you arrested right now.
♪ ♪
So help me understand, before we move on to this new case,
why you have failed even to today
to provide this court with proof
of community work service.
- So-- [clears throat]
Sorry, sir.
Um...
- We gave them to you three times!
We gave new papers to you three times.
Each and every extension I gave you,
we gave you another set of documentation.
And you know what, the court doesn't move.
It's still here.
You can come up to the window and get more paperwork.
So don't give me that as an excuse.
[boing]
♪ ♪
- Um...
- Well--
- I got. I got it in my--
- I don't have any paperwork.
- Oh, here.
Yeah.
Can you pass the paper?
I turned it in.
- You gave it to the clerk, and she gave it back to you?
- Um, she gave me copies, yes.
♪ ♪
- What year was this? In June--
- Last year.
I got it done when I-- you're-- when
you wanted me to get it done.
- Then why are you turning this in today?
- I turned it in yesterday.
- Well, wh--
- Because I lost it in between my books.
♪ ♪
- Look, Jenna.
I would not have yelled at you if I had that documentation.
I may be yelling at my clerk staff for telling me--
- OK.
Based on that paperwork, I do find you completed
community work service.
OK, we're going to move on to the new case.
First charge of driving under FRA suspension, an unclassified
misdemeanor, how do you plead?
- Guilty.
- Charge of expired plates, minor misdemeanor,
how do you plead?
- Guilty.
- The judge accepts the defendant's guilty plea,
moves on to her sentencing.
- You're not going to like what I'm going to do to you.
On the driving under FRA suspension,
I'm ordering 50 hours of community service this time.
You should not have been driving
on the date of this offense.
And there's consequences for that.
- I understand.
- You do your community work service.
When you got them done on the paperwork,
don't wait until the hearing date.
Give them to us as soon as possible.
♪ ♪
- And with that, Judge Iarocci comes
out from behind the bench to console the tearful defendant.
Since she completed her community service hours,
Peters' original case was dismissed.
♪ ♪
She has four months to complete the 50 hours
of community service for her new case.
- Next, we head to Allegan, Michigan, for a hearing.
♪ ♪
58-year-old Hilario Nunemaker has been charged
with impeding traffic and refusing
a preliminary breath test.
♪ ♪
A month earlier, a county police officer
says he spotted Nunemaker sleeping at the wheel
while waiting at a red light.
The officer pulled Nunemaker over
and asked him to complete a number
of field sobriety tests.
When Nunemaker refused to take a preliminary breathalyzer
test, he was officially charged.
Today, Nunemaker appears without an attorney
before Magistrate Daniel Norbeck
to discuss next steps in the case.
- Mr. Nunemaker, you are here on these citations.
What were you looking to do?
- Well, sir, I don't believe that I
should have been charged.
I was waiting for the light, and it did not cycle.
So when he passed by me, I had set my head down for a moment
because I had to go to the bathroom, and I was praying.
- Did you explain to the deputy that you didn't think
the light cycled correctly?
- Not at all because I didn't think it was going to matter.
And I had to piss like a Russian racehorse.
So I figured, arrest me, or you're
going to give me a ticket because I'm not a trained dog.
- Before making his decision, Magistrate Norbeck needs
a little more information.
- Let me ask you a question, Mr. Nunemaker.
Did the deputy explain to you when he asked you for the PBT
that if you refused the PBT, there was a fine involved?
- He may have said that.
- He explained that to you, which he testified to,
and you're not denying.
Then you made that choice that you weren't a trained dog,
but that's going to cost you $135.
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As far as the impeding traffic--
- There was no traffic.
We were the only ones in there.
I wasn't impeding anyone.
The fact of the matter is that there was no vehicle behind me
until he pulled up.
And the light had not changed.
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- Deputy, did you have any indi--
any indication any time after this, there's something
wrong with that light?
It wasn't cycling correctly?
- No, Your Honor.
♪ ♪
- So for those reasons, I would find
you responsible, Mr. Nunemaker, on both of these tickets
as they were cited.
- Nunemaker does not seem happy
with the judge's decision.
- I'd like to continue.
The argument here is that--
- No, sir. The time for argument is done.
I've made my finding.
♪ ♪
All right.
Then we're all set for what we need to do here
today, gentlemen.
I'm going to release the parties.
Thank you.
- The magistrate ruled in favor of the state.
Nunemaker was ordered to pay $260 in fines,
which he did.
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That's it for this edition of "Court Cam."
I'm Dan Abrams.
Thanks for watching.
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