Former New Jersey police officer Jovanny Crespo has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for the shooting death of one man and the wounding of another during a high-speed car chase in Newark over five years ago.
Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin handed down a 20-year sentence for aggravated manslaughter and a seven-year sentence for aggravated assault in the January 2019 incident. The sentences will be served consecutively, with an additional six-year term for official misconduct running concurrently.
During sentencing, Crespo’s family wept as the judge announced that he would not be eligible for parole for nearly 23 years. Crespo apologized to the victims’ families after his family pleaded for leniency.
Video evidence from dashboard and police body cameras showed Crespo firing his weapon during the chase, leading to the death of Gregory Griffin and critical injuries to another individual. Prosecutors argued that Crespo’s use of deadly force was unjustified under state guidelines.
Defense attorney Isaac Wright Jr. claimed that Crespo was poorly trained and should not have been involved in the pursuit. However, the judge deemed Crespo as extensively trained and condemned his actions as an abuse of police power.
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