Alabama Man Convicted of Rape Wants Plea Deal Altered Because He Found Jesus
An Alabama man who plead guilty to rape is asking that his plea agreement be altered because he says that he has a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.
Anthony Lawrence Ferrari, 38, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2007 for having sex two to three times a week with a teenager. Judge Karen Hall suspended 15 of the years and Ferrari only served five.
As part of the five-year prison sentence and probation agreement, Ferrari is required to enroll in treatment classes. Since becoming serious about his faith, however, these are classes that he now wants to drop.
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"He took religious classes in prison. He also took classes regarding sex offender's stuff," Ferrari's current attorney, John Butler, who attends the same church as the convicted rapist, told WHNT.
Madison County Assistant District Attorney Gabrielle Helix, on the other hand, is not denying that Ferrari may have reformed himself, but stands by the County's programming.
"The treatment is necessary. Our office believes the treatment is necessary to protect the children of Madison County," Helix told WHNT.
Helix also pointed out that this was a deal that Ferrari himself had made.
"It was a negotiated plea agreement. We'd like to think, if we negotiated a plea agreement, those conditions will stand," she said.
But Butler said he believes that his client is ready to move on from the incident.
"He feels like he is cured. I guess that may not be the right term, but he feels like he is better at this point," he said.
Following a hearing with Hall, the judge ordered Ferrari to receive professional treatment.
