Kindness of a stranger: Man gave young dad he met in courtroom $983 so he could avoid becoming a felon after overhearing he could not afford to pay the fine

Kindness of a stranger: Man gave young dad he met in courtroom $983 so he could avoid becoming a felon after overhearing he could not afford to pay the fine

What a great man! A generous attorney who overheard how a defendant could not afford restitution in his theft case has given the young father $983 so he avoids becoming a felon.

2444A4E200000578-0-image-a-5_1419599747725

A generous attorney who overheard how a defendant could not afford restitution in his theft case has given the young father $983 so he avoids becoming a felon.
Colin M. Murphy was sitting in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland, Oregon last Thursday as he waited for his case, when he heard lawyers and the judge discussing Castor Conley’s predicament.
Conley, a 27-year-old married father of a 17-month-old girl, paid $150 to $200 for a stolen Nissan truck last year and then sold it for $275 to another buyer, who in turn sold its parts, authorities said.
The defendant, who had one other conviction for a fourth-degree assault in 2011, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, but the deputy district attorney agreed for it to be classified as a misdemeanor if he paid $983 to the owner of the truck, The Oregonian reported.
The vehicle’s owner, Shawn Stratton, also lost camping equipment that was inside the car, as well as hundreds of dollars to cover his insurance deductible.
But Conley said he was unable to pay the money.
Failing to pay the sum meant that the plea deal would fall through and he would be convicted of a felony.
Murphy, who has never met Conley before, said he knows how much a felony can affect employment and housing prospects. He said he felt the court simply wanted to compensate the truck’s original owner while not overly penalizing the defendant.
The deputy district attorney, Kevin Demer, said he did not want to punish Conley too harshly because he was the most minor player in a much larger scheme, and he had admitted to the crime.
So Murphy stepped forward and offered the $983.
Conley became emotional at the generous offer, his attorney, Lawrence Taylor, said. He shook the man’s had and expressed his thanks.
‘I’ve never experienced anything like this, not for even a smaller amount,’ Taylor told ABC News. ‘This is unique and I’ve been practicing for 22 years.’
Under the state’s law, an attorney is not allowed to give or loan his client money, but Murphy does not represent Conley and mostly works in business law.
Taylor, who had never seen Murphy before, said the attorney gave him a check that day. The judge told Conley that he should eventually pay Murphy back.
If I get paid back, great,’ Murphy said. ‘If I don’t, no problem. I’m not going to hold the kid to it.’
Murphy said he was happy to give the man a chance.
‘All of us sometime in our lives have done something we would rather not have done,’ he told The Oregonian. ‘And the time will come when perhaps we are going to be held accountable. And I think at that point we would like to have somebody show us mercy.’

Sometimes it is the littlest gestures that have the most impact with someone. This lawyer really changed this man life. Having a felony on your record really impacts your social mobility. We all need to remember that we need to help each other out.

Share this!

Enjoy reading? Share it with your friends!