AMERICAN FORK — Despite his attorney's pleas for leniency, a man who in a drunken rage beat his girlfriend so severely he broke five bones in her face will go to prison.
Alonzo Mosley, 36, was found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury for attacking his girlfriend, Teri Watson, in a Provo motel room in December, leaving her bloodied and partly naked in the bathroom.
"This was a violent crime and no human being deserves such a beating," 4th District Judge David Mortensen told Mosley.
Mortensen then ruled that Mosley serve one to 15 years in prison for the second-degree felony assault charge and one year for an additional misdemeanor charge of violation of a protective order.
The charges will run concurrently, and Mosley will get credit for the 201 days he's already spent at the Utah County Jail, Mortensen said.
Defense attorney Richard Gale asked the judge to take into account Mosley's lack of criminal history and willingness to participate in alcohol-addiction therapy.
"The injuries to (the victim) were very serious," Gale said. "He made a very big mistake, and the question is whether it's something he should be sent to prison for. I suggest to the court that sending him to prison is not the solution."
Both Gale and Mosley said Mosley should pay for what he did, but said another year in jail, then several months in a treatment center to address his alcohol addiction, followed by a lengthy supervised probation period, would be a better solution than a prison term.
Plus, sending Mosley to prison would preclude him from paying nearly $50,000 in restitution for Watson's medical bills, as well as child support, in which he's behind for his three children.
And while prosecutor Chad Grunander agreed that spending time in prison would definitely inhibit Mosley's ability to pay restitution, it's the proper punishment.
"Probation is a privilege," Grunander said. "I don't believe the depravity of the actions should (allow Mosley) the privilege of probation. The defendant was a ticking time bomb, and he exploded on that night."
Grunander added that, in this case, although alcohol abuse was an issue, it should not be the reason for a lenient sentence. There are plenty of good programs in the prison, he said.
"I know he needs some help," Watson, the victim, told the judge. "He needs help from the system ... (because) I don't know if he would do it voluntarily. I'm not one to say how much time he needs ... but I do need a long time for myself to heal. I don't want to live in fear."
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