Pedro Hernandez is fighting to be released from custody in enough time to claim his scholarship to attend college after being arrested for attempted murder. A judge offered him a deal where a guilty plea would result in five years of probation and a clean record after. However, Hernandez is insistent he’s innocent and wouldn’t accept the terms, according to PIX 11.

To support Hernandez’s case, the person he was accused of trying to shoot over a year ago, and multiple witnesses, have come out saying that he’s innocent. They went on to state that Officer David Terrell pressured them to identify Hernanzez under threat of physical harm.

These claims are all the more believable after Terrell has been removed from duty pending an extensive internal investigation into multiple violations of NYPD procedure and law. A particular incident involved video footage of Terrell shooting a game craps while in uniform where the stakes were whether or not he would release someone handcuffed in his car.

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“Terrell has been suspended,” said private investigator Manuel Gomez. “His badge and gun have been confiscated and he’s being investigated for [criminal wrongdoing] on multiple cases.”

In other words, Terrell is suspected of being a crooked cop. This means that the cases he worked on have all been called into question, including Hernandez’s.

Hernandez recently graduated from high school through a program on Rikers Island. He was even honored for helping other students pursue education. But he won’t be able to take the next huge step forward while incarcerated. Unfortunately, his next court date isn’t scheduled for after Labor Day, which would be too late, and his bail is set at $250,000.

“Everybody needs to stand together and say that our kids don’t deserve a plea deal,” his mother, Jessica Perez, said. “They deserve a future.”

 

Photo courtesy PIX11