'It's not really a pass': Man who strangled woman off with no jail

ByMEGHAN KENEALLY ABCNews logo
Thursday, September 20, 2018

A man who reached a plea deal in a case brought against him after choking and masturbating on a woman is now free in Alaska.

Justin Schneider served one year on house arrest with an ankle bracelet and is not slated to spend any time in jail over the August 2017 incident as a result of a deal.

Schneider's arrest came after he allegedly offered a woman a ride and then attacked her, strangled her with two hands until she was unconscious and masturbated on her, according to local Alaska TV station KTVA.

The victim, whose name has not been released and who did not appear at Schneider's court hearing on Wednesday, told police that her attacker, later identified as Schneider, "told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled," KTVA reported, citing the police's criminal complaint.

Schneider initially faced four felony charges, including assault and kidnapping, and a misdemeanor charge of offensive contact with fluids, but his plea deal required him to only plead guilty to a single felony assault charge, according to KTVA.

The Anchorage District Attorney's office confirmed that Schneider was sentenced to three years in jail but two of those years are a suspended sentence that he would only have to serve if he violates his parole in the next three years. KTVA reports that the past year that he has spent under house arrest with an ankle bracelet counts for the one year he was sentenced to serve.

He was also ordered to pay $300 in fines and a yet-undecided amount of restitution to the victim.

Footage from inside the Wednesday hearing shows Assistant District Attorney Andrew Grannik speaking in court about the prospect of Schneider reoffending, saying "I hope it doesn't happen."

"That's the reason why I made the deal that I've made, because I have reasonable expectations that it will not happen. But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that that is what his, his one pass -- it's not really a pass, but given the conduct, one might consider that it is," Grannik said on the courtroom video, obtained by KTVA.

Schneider made a statement in court as well, expressing thanks for the process and, according to KTVA, never mentioning the victim or expressing clear remorse.

"I'd just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process. It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person, and a better husband, and a better father, and I'm very eager to continue that journey," Schneider said in court.

According to KTVA, Grannik said that Schneider lost his job at the local airport and that job loss was a "life sentence."

Schneider did not immediately respond to ABC News and his attorney Michael Moberly had no comment. Grannik also did not immediately return a request for comment.

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