Displaying utter contempt for the law he swore to uphold, today the New Jersey Attorney General, Matthew Platkin, announced a reduced sentence for a man convicted of murder, further underscoring the State’s soft position on crime.
Terrell Savage, a 37 year-old black man from Millville, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter (dropped down from First Degree murder charges) and sentenced to 22 years in prison for shooting and killing Maurice Lewis, 19, of Millville, on May 18, 2018 with a gun he did not legally possess. Lewis was the driver of a vehicle containing two other passengers at the time who were not hit by gunfire.
In today’s announcement, the State buried the following fact at the end of the press release: “In securing a plea agreement….the State agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against him.” What were those remaining charges? A laundry list of weapons charges that included:
- unlawful possession of a weapon (1st and 2nd degree counts)
- possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (2nd degree)
- possession of a weapon as a convicted felon (2nd degree)
- hindering apprehension or prosecution (3rd degree)
- tampering with physical evidence (4th degree – related to trying to hide the illegal gun)
The odious hypocrisy in this story stems from the fact that Platkin and his team have been waging war against the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun owners in New Jersey with their onerous “carry killer” bill signed into law on December 22 of last year. The law places the stiffest of felony penalties on legal gun owners who make the slightest of errors when carrying a concealed handgun.
Platkin manages to undermine his own integrity in a stroke of liberal genius that is hard to beat for its double-speak:
“The lengthy prison sentence we obtained in this case demonstrates our commitment to protecting our residents from the threat of gun violence and sends a clear message that this kind of lawless conduct will not be tolerated.”
In the same release, Pearl Minato, Director of the NJ Division of Criminal Justice states, “We will continue to vigorously prosecute gun crimes to deter reckless violence that endangers the public and destroys families.” Except there was no prosecution of gun crimes (including possession of a high capacity, 14-round magazine), only manslaughter.
The leniency in sentencing that the State extended to the multi-time convicted felon, Savage, tells another story.
According to the original 2019 press release on the AG’s site, the penalties for the murder charge alone carries a sentence of 30 years without parole to life in prison. Yet, because of the criminal-loving chief law enforcement officer, Savage will serve only 18 years and will then be eligible for parole, according to today’s release.
The message is clear: if you’re a criminal in New Jersey and you commit a felony with a gun, you will literally face fewer consequences than if you are a law-abiding concealed carry holder who mistakenly walks into the wrong location.
To put it more bluntly, in the words of well-known author and podcast host, Anthony Colandro, “Once you understand they hate us, it all makes sense.”
In recent weeks, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin tweeted and did news interviews talking about how New Jersey’s strong gun laws keep us safe and the importance of enforcement of gun laws. We’ve reached out to Platkin’s office numerous times in recent weeks. Unfortunately, he does not have time for questions or interviews with any organization that doesn’t blindly promote the State’s agenda.
We’ll post a couple of questions here and invite the AG to answer in the comment section below:
- How did this Savage get a gun and kill a 19 year old boy despite all of the restrictions on law-abiding citizens?
- Why were all of his very serious gun charges forgiven?
- What’s your formula for determining when to be selective with the application of gun laws?
- Did the gun commit the crime or did the individuals commit the crime?
Our @Giffordscourage “A” grade is no accident.
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) April 7, 2023
NJ's strong gun laws and enforcement efforts are saving hundreds of lives and making our communities safer. https://t.co/kX5G3Myive
New Jersey has created a blueprint for commonsense gun safety.
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) March 21, 2023
And it’s helping us save lives.
If more states take our approach, we can save even more. pic.twitter.com/f3454p3F4y
Let me make this clear -
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) March 18, 2023
My commitment to public safety has never been stronger.
And I will always stand up for sensible measures that protect New Jerseyans from gun violence. pic.twitter.com/kOeEmsmqKv
What a crock of shit!