FAST FACTS:
The conviction means he can't posses a handgun and will never be able to an officer again.
His lawyers tell News Channel 3, Benjamin took the guilty plea because of time. If Benjamin went ahead with a trial, he faced up to 25 years in jail. The guilty plea cuts down his maximum sentence to eight years.
"This is the strangest case I have seen in 35 years." said prosecutor, Thomas Henderson.
Norman Benjamin's guilty plea Friday, bypasses about 2 months worth of court dates and speeds up the process.
The former police officer admitted to filing a false police report in September of last year, telling investigators a man shot him. He then changed his story, saying a woman he was involved with was responsible for shooting him. It wasn't until he was arrested that Benjamin told investigators he shot himself.
Benjamin also pled guilty to giving a 17-year-old girl a handgun and hiring a hit-man to kill her boyfriend.
Friday he faced two new charges in court. For months, Benjamin bought and had Xanax delivered to that same 17-year-old girl he was seeing. Just two days before he shot himself in September, Benjamin was involved in having the home where the 17-year-old girl lived, shot up.
"I don't know that there is ever going to be an explanation for these kinds of actions that's going to satisfy anybody, whether he is a police officer or not." said defense attorney, Blake Ballin.
Ballin says these charges are all isolated. He hopes his team can get that across to a judge next month when Benjamin his sentenced.
"He is hopeful that he will be granted probation, but understnds that he has been convicted and pled guilty to some very serious things." said Ballin.
"We will oppose it on the grounds that we don't think he's an appropriate candidate for it. We think his offenses are too serious to warrant probation." said Henderson.
Norman Benjamin is slated to be sentenced February 2nd.
- Norman Benjamin pled guilty Friday to a long list of charges
- Plea cuts down maximum prison time from 25 years, to 8 years
- Benjamin can no longer possess a handgun or be a police officer
The conviction means he can't posses a handgun and will never be able to an officer again.
His lawyers tell News Channel 3, Benjamin took the guilty plea because of time. If Benjamin went ahead with a trial, he faced up to 25 years in jail. The guilty plea cuts down his maximum sentence to eight years.
"This is the strangest case I have seen in 35 years." said prosecutor, Thomas Henderson.
Norman Benjamin's guilty plea Friday, bypasses about 2 months worth of court dates and speeds up the process.
The former police officer admitted to filing a false police report in September of last year, telling investigators a man shot him. He then changed his story, saying a woman he was involved with was responsible for shooting him. It wasn't until he was arrested that Benjamin told investigators he shot himself.
Benjamin also pled guilty to giving a 17-year-old girl a handgun and hiring a hit-man to kill her boyfriend.
Friday he faced two new charges in court. For months, Benjamin bought and had Xanax delivered to that same 17-year-old girl he was seeing. Just two days before he shot himself in September, Benjamin was involved in having the home where the 17-year-old girl lived, shot up.
"I don't know that there is ever going to be an explanation for these kinds of actions that's going to satisfy anybody, whether he is a police officer or not." said defense attorney, Blake Ballin.
Ballin says these charges are all isolated. He hopes his team can get that across to a judge next month when Benjamin his sentenced.
"He is hopeful that he will be granted probation, but understnds that he has been convicted and pled guilty to some very serious things." said Ballin.
"We will oppose it on the grounds that we don't think he's an appropriate candidate for it. We think his offenses are too serious to warrant probation." said Henderson.
Norman Benjamin is slated to be sentenced February 2nd.
