Many ask why the man, now charged with murder, has not spent more time behind bars for previous violent crimes.
TALEDA, Ohio – Three of Toledo’s five murders this year are suspected of domestic violence.
One man accused of killing his girlfriend was recently released from prison after serving a term for assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Now many are wondering why he didn’t spend more time behind bars.
“He kicks me in the face. He had steel fingers,” Nicole Clark said of the February night of 2019, when she was beaten by 36-year-old Juan Garibaldo.
on the topic: The victim of the attack shares a story of violence by a man who is now accused of murder
“He’s pushing me down the stairs, so I’m crashing down the stairs,” Clark said.
She eventually said she was able to escape to safety.
Garibalda was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of aggravated assault; minimum penalty.
“This is a second-degree crime involving two to eight years in prison,” said Jerome Phillips, a local lawyer.
Phillips said that at the end of the proposal there is also a potential surcharge of 50%.
Garibaldo was released in April 2021.
This week he was accused of killing his girlfriend Sarah Schulte.
Phillips said criminals are rendered on the basis of past and present behavior. Not about what they can do in the future. At the time of sentencing, Garibaldo had no preliminary record.
“We don’t want to punish 99 and a half percent of people who may not commit the next crime, and put those people in jail for longer than necessary,” Phillips said.
Garibalda could have gone to court on charges of aggravated assault, but Clark said she was injured and unable to speak on her behalf in court.
“I just didn’t want him to look at me. I didn’t want to see him, ”she said.
Phillips said the trial could lead to more imprisonment for Garibaldo, but there are no guarantees.
Clark said she was ill because of Schulte’s death.
“I’m just really sick of her family,” she said.
But how do accusations of aggravated assault coincide with accusations of domestic violence?
Phillips said the severe attack has the most weight because it inflicts serious bodily harm. Charges of domestic violence are misdemeanors and involve a maximum of six months in prison and / or a $ 1,000 fine.
