There was no physical evidence or circumstantial really; the only thing that held me was the snitch saying it was me...
There were about four different witness accounts and none lined up with each other, there was no weapon, there was nothing else to tie me into it but the snitch who said he know for sure it was me...
I paid a large retainer for a lawyer, went to New York, and spent 9 months in jail fighting this. By the time everything came down, it came down to the DA knowing they didn't have a strong case, but knowing they could threaten me with trial and if I lost that coulda been anywhere from 7-25 years depending on what I was convicted of...
This was my third strike, "the bytch" is what they call it in North Carolina, but it's the same thing in any state. Any felony I caught after this I automatically get sentenced under NC's Habitual Felon law....
The snitch coulda testified at trial and I possibly still coulda won. But this was in March, my trial woulda been scheduled 6-9 months out which meant another 6-9 months in jail, and there was always the possibility even with no real evidence I lose at trial...I wasn't willing to gamble a minimum of 7, max of 25 years gone to roll the dice with these people....
Some brothers do, I know cats who roll the dice because they don't want that third or additional strike, and sometimes they win----but most of the time they lose and get hammered at sentencing...
If I went to trial and won of course I don't have the firearm by felon charge on my record, but if I went to trial and lost, I'm not talking to y'all right now, the minimum was 7 and this was in 2014. So I'd still be two years from freedom and that's only if I got the minimum sentence....
Too many unfavorable possibilities for me and too much of a crap shoot, so I took probation. It was a win for me because if I violated probation I woulda had to do 2 years but I got my freedom--->it was a win for Charlotte DA because even though they had to drop everything else, and was an admission they really didnt have shyt, they got a felon to take a 3rd strike, and they always believe that felon gonna do something else, and they gonna hammer him. And most of the time they right...but it was a win win for both sides at the time...
Long story bit there it is...