With the criminal battery trial against former NFL quarterback and former Fox analyst Mark Sanchez already delayed four times, it’s easy to assume that the current trial date will change, too. But the current trial date is only 10 days away.
More importantly, the date of the final pre-trial conference, July 8, is only five days away. If the final pre-trial conference happens, that usually means the trial is happening. Unless there’s a plea deal.
And a plea deal seems very possible. Sanchez should want one. Even if he testifies, what can he say? He told investigators at the time of his back-alley fight with a 69-year-old truck driver that he didn’t remember anything. If he gets on the stand and spins a yarn that he was just out for a walk and suddenly got stabbed multiple times, who will believe it?
Besides, the prosecution has identified more than 50 pieces of video evidence from surveillance cameras that tracked the action from the evening in early October, as Sanchez strolled through the streets of Indianapolis — apparently after leaving St. Elmo’s. Video helped authorities determine that the version provided by Perry Tole, who explained that he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense, was accurate. It’s why Sanchez was charged with multiple crimes, and why Tole was charged with none.
The biggest impediment to a plea deal could be that the prosecution isn’t offering much of a break to Sanchez. Why would they? Prosecutors press forward with cases they believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Sure, sometimes they get it wrong. But this case seems to be pretty clear, based on the widely-reported facts that Sanchez has never tried to dispute.
Sanchez, possibly while under the influence of alcohol and/or something more potent, apparently initiated an argument with Tole. It escalated, eventually, into a fight. And the 69-year-old Tole was no match for the then-38-year-old former professional athlete, who has roughly the same height and weight as the slightly embellished measurements of the Commander-in-Chief.
If the prosecution is insisting on real jail time, why wouldn’t Sanchez roll the dice on getting a favorable jury? That’s one of the basic realities of any trial, criminal or civil. Two different juries could reach two different verdicts in the same case, with the same evidence and arguments.
It makes sense for prosecutors to drive a hard bargain. One, they have the facts on their side. Two, why wouldn’t the chief law enforcement officer in a given jurisdiction feel compelled to throw the book at an out-of-towner who shows up for a short stay and inflicts serious injuries on a local resident?
If the trial happens, it will be televised. The presiding judge made that ruling early on. That’s another reason for the prosecutors to press forward. If all the facts come out, one at a time, for the world to see (and react to on social media), it could do permanent damage to Sanchez’s future media prospects.
Then again, that damage may already be done. At this point, it could be simply about doing damage control when it comes to the ultimate consequences for Sanchez’s unexpected excursion.
Beyond nearly getting him killed, it could get him imprisoned — for multiple years.
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