On Monday, Miami-Dade state lawyers put an end to plea negotiations with a hit-and-run motorist who is accused of murdering one woman and wounding two others in Miami Gardens in 2023. This decision was made in response to a family’s demands for justice.
Sharon Cox, who is 64 years old, is currently on house arrest; nevertheless, she made an appearance in court on Friday after signing a prison sentence amounting to 366 days that was negotiated by her counsel and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
“We had a contract that was on file. A plea agreement that has been signed by both the state and the defense for a period of around ten years. There was going to be a total of 366 days locked up. In the subsequent year, the community will be in power. Cox’s attorney, Andrew Rier, stated that the sentence would be followed by eight years of probation.
Despite the fact that a lady who was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of another woman and injured two others was about to enter a guilty plea, the family of the victim intervened and persuaded a court in Miami-Dade County to reject the plea offer. The reports of Christian Colón on
The plea deal, on the other hand, was unsuccessful and was referred to as a “slap on the wrist” by people who were affected by Cox’s irresponsible driving.
In front of a judge, Patricia Garner’s family argued that Cox should have been sentenced to a longer period of incarceration.
“The remembrance of Patricia was treated with a great deal of disrespect. According to Bruce Baskin, who was responding to the state prosecutors’ decision to go against the wishes of the family for a more severe punishment for Cox, “It was basically insulting because to take a life and possibly only face 366 days in prison, that’s a travesty.”
Baskin stated that the family was incensed on the fact that state attorneys did not impose the mandatory minimum sentence of four years that Cox was also eligible for.
When Garner, a mother and grandmother, was being driven away from a community service facility, she was struck and murdered by a vehicle. A center staffer and Garner’s oldest kid were both struck by the bullet and managed to survive.
According to officials with the Miami Gardens Police Department, the event took place in the 16400 block of Northwest 25th Avenue in the month of July 2023 at approximately 11:20 a.m.
On Friday, Judge Ariel Rodriguez informed the family of the victim that he would take the weekend to consider the plea and would then make a decision on Monday regarding whether or not he will accept or reject the plea.
On Monday, however, Judge Rodriguez made the announcement that state attorneys had withdrawn their offer of a plea bargain with Cox and would not engage in any further negotiations.
When asked how her client felt on Monday, Rier responded, “She’s disappointed we thought we had a resolution that gave closure to the next of kin and closure to Mrs. Cox.” Rier was responding to a question by her client. The hearing for Cox took place on Monday, and she appeared on Zoom.
According to Rier, the change in plans was brought about by the intervention of the family through their attendance at the hearing.
The trial of Cox is scheduled to take place in September, and if she is found guilty by the jury, she could be sentenced to a maximum of forty years in jail.
Garner’s family experienced a bittersweet feeling as a result of the collapse of the plea offer; nevertheless, it did inspire the prosecution to investigate this case in the hopes of preventing it from happening again.
The fact that we are fighting is a blessing, but what about the families that are unable to fight? There are others who simply have faith in the system and believe that it will act in a manner that is appropriate, but then they turn around and make agreements with the system and things are made. When an agreement is signed and the judge gives his or her approval, that is the end of the matter, according to Baskin.
As another point of contention, Baskin urges legislators to examine the statutes governing traffic homicide, arguing that individuals who flee the scene of the crime are not penalized with the severity that they should be.
Cox has entered a plea of not guilty.
