Second Degree Burglary Trial, Life Imprisonment Exposure: Not Guilty Verdict

I represented a client facing a Second Degree Burglary indictment. Because of his prior criminal record, the District Attorney's office formally designated him as a persistent violent felony offender under New York Penal Law § 70.08, exposing him to a mandatory enhanced sentence carrying a maximum of life imprisonment. The prosecution took an absolute zero-plea-bargain stance, offering no alternative short of maximum state prison time.

Refusing to compromise, I took the case to a full jury trial at the Cromarty Court Complex in Riverhead. Through aggressive cross-examination of the state’s witnesses and a meticulous deconstruction of the forensic timeline, I undermined the prosecutor’s theory of the case. The Suffolk County jury returned a unanimous NOT GUILTY verdict on all counts. My client, who had been held in the Suffolk County Jail for more than eight months awaiting trial, was immediately released from custody as a free man.

When your life is on the line and prosecutors refuse to bend, you need a relentless trial lawyer. Text my cell directly 24/7 to put 31+ years of criminal defense experience in your corner.

Authored and reviewed by Edward Palermo

This article was written and reviewed by Edward Palermo, a Long Island criminal defense and DWI attorney with more than 31 years of courtroom experience and over 2,000 clients personally represented across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The information on this page is for general educational purposes and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship.