Commonwealth v. J.I.

Client was charged with Aggravated Assault in Philadelphia after his former girlfriend alleged that he punched her, threw objects at her, kicked her in the head and then threw her down a flight of concrete stairs, causing her to pass out. The complainant then testified that the client grabbed her by the hair and dragged her in a moving car for approximately three blocks. At trial, the defense argued that the victim’s actual injuries were inconsistent with her testimony and that her accounts of what happened changed from what she told hospital staff, to what she told police, to her testimony at the preliminary hearing and trial. J.I. was found not guilty of aggravated assault and guilty only engaging in a “mutual fight”. J.I., who was initially offered an offer of 8-16 years in exchange for a guilty plea, received a “time-in” sentence of six months incarceration that he had already served.