After being sentenced to eight to twenty years in prison for third-degree murder on Monday, a former Philadelphia police officer who had shot and killed a 12-year-old kid two years ago was given the punishment.
Edsaul Mendoza, the individual who shot Thomas “TJ” Siderio in the back on March 1, 2022, was urged by the prosecution to serve a sentence of twenty to forty years in prison under the terms of the sentence.
During a media briefing, prosecutor Clarke Beljean stated that this was due in part to the fact that shortly after the deadly shooting, Mendoza searched online for an opportunity to purchase aircraft tickets to the Dominican Republic, which is where he had origins.
According to Beljean, Mendoza searched the internet for countries that do not have extradition treaties with the United States. He discovered that Cuba did not have such a treaty for extradition. According to Beljean, next, he looked for airline tickets in that location.
Beljean described the shooting as a “shocking crime.”
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Two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and possession of an instrument of a crime were brought against Mendoza, who was 28 years old.
As part of an arrangement with the prosecution, he had consented to enter a guilty plea, which would result in him receiving a term that adheres to the sentencing guidelines for third-degree murder, which stipulates that the minimum penalty for this offense is seven and a half years.
In April, Mendoza entered a guilty plea to the charge of murder.
However, Beljean added that TJ could never present his case in court. “That was a fair, just, and equitable sentencing in this case,” Beljean said.
By killing TJ Siderio in the back, Edsaul Mendoza was able to avail himself of every benefit that the criminal justice system has to offer, as he stated.
Mendoza fired three shots at the youngster, who then fired a gun at an unmarked police vehicle, according to the evidence that was submitted to the grand jury. This caused other plainclothes cops to duck for cover, according to NBC.
Prosecutors have stated that following TJ’s disposal of a firearm, two of Mendoza’s three rounds were fired.
As the youngster was being shot in the rear, Beljean stated that he had stopped running and was on his hands and knees at the time. Mendoza was terminated from his position by the police department shortly after the incident occurred because he had violated the agency’s use-of-force directives, which included the use of excessive force.