Brandon Maldonado appeared before Judge Robert C. Noonan this afternoon to learn if he might get something less than the 18 months in state prison he agreed to when he accepted a plea bargain in his animal cruelty case.
Maldonado said he's a changed man since he was last sentenced by Noonan three years ago. He said he cares now about being a good father to his son.
"I'm not the guy you knew before," Maldonado said. "Going to prison changed my life in a big way. Instead of doing what I want to do, I learned to do what I'm supposed to do."
At no point did Maldonado mention the dog, Rocky, he was accused of dumping scalding hot water on in July.
When Maldonado entered a guilty plea Sept. 22 to aggravated cruelty to an animal, he did so on an Alford basis, which means he did not admit to the actions underlying the charge, just that he recognized a jury would likely find him guilty if the case went to trial.
Noonan told Maldonado that frankly he didn't remember him from three years ago. There was nothing to distinguish him from the hundreds of other defendants he's seen since. The judge said defendants are often under the mistaken impression that an Alford plea will lead to a reduced sentence. He noted that Maldonado, while claiming to be a changed man, made no reference to the crime that brought him into court today. He called Moldonado's crime "horrific."
"It makes me shiver to think somebody could do this to a helpless animal," Noonan said.
The judge then told Maldonado he is being sentenced to the full year and a half term negotiated as the cap under his plea deal. (Absent the deal, the longest possible sentence is two years.)
With credit for good behavior, Maldonado could be eligible for release in 12 months.
His actual release date will also depend on the parole board. His parole stems from a prior conviction in 2013 for second-degree attempted criminal possession of a forged instrument.
