OSWEGO COUNTY – A felony jury trial ended suddenly in Oswego County yesterday afternoon, April 27, when the defendant, Djaquinn Johnson of Fulton, waived his rights and pleaded guilty to Assault in the Second Degree, according to District Attorney Gregory Oakes.
That charge was the top count of the Indictment. During the plea, Johnson admitted that he intentionally injured another person with a machete on March 28, 2020 in the City of Fulton.
Jury selection started last Thursday, April 22, 2021, and the prosecution began calling witnesses this week. Four witnesses had testified when Johnson agreed to plead guilty.
The Hon. Walter W. Hafner, Jr. was the presiding County Court judge. Assistant District Attorney Louis Mannara was the prosecutor. Johnson was represented by Attorney James Hopkins of Syracuse.
District Attorney Gregory Oakes noted that prosecutors were prepared to start an unrelated robbery case last Monday when that defendant pleaded guilty just before jury selection began.
“Rather than waste a potential jury pool, the court had us proceed with this case,” Oakes said.
According to the District Attorney, due to the backlog created by Covid, courts have been scheduling up to three or four felony cases for trial on the same date.
District Attorney Oakes thanked the Fulton Police Department for their outstanding work both during the investigation and over this past week.
“We are fortunate to have a tremendous police partner with Fulton PD. Today’s conviction would not have been possible without them,” Oakes said.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Johnson has a prior criminal history, including a 2005 felony conviction for Robbery in the Second Degree in Onondaga County.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2021. Oakes said that Johnson could be sentenced to as much as seven years in state prison for this offense, adding “I trust the court will impose a sentence that’s commensurate with the defendant’s history and the harm caused in this case.”
