The New Jersey Supreme Court this year ordered a new sentence for Patrick McFarlane.
TRENTON -- Convicted killer Patrick McFarlane stood before a new judge for a new sentencing hearing Tuesday - one ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court - but it did little to change the time he will spend behind bars.
McFarlane, 27, of Trenton, was sentenced to 60 years in prison, the same term he received in 2013, for gunning down Richard Mason in 2008.
The case took the normal avenues through the court system in the years after McFarlane was arrested; he was convicted of murder, robbery and weapons charges by a jury in July of 2013.
In September of the same year, McFarlane was sentenced to 60 years on prison by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier.
But last year McFarlane's appeals attorney called attention to an unrelated case that came in front of Billmeier, after McFarlane was sentenced.
During the other case, Billmeier had said he "always" gives 60-year sentences to defendants who are convicted of first-degree murder by a jury.
The New Jersey Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and in April ruled McFarlane be re-sentenced and a new judge to preside over it.
Though they didn't find fault with Billmeier, the high court said they wanted to "preserve public trust" in the sentencing process.
Trenton killer gets new sentencing
When McFarlane came back to court Tuesday in front of Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw, he was supported by his sisters, brothers and mother, who packed in the seats behind him, cried and wished him luck.
His sister, Cecelia Reed, even spoke Tuesday, pleaded with Warshaw to give her brother another chance. She said that she wanted to have him home and that he had made a positive change in the eight years since the killing.
Defense attorney Malaeika Montgomery, who represented McFarlane, asked Warshaw to give her client a 30-year sentence this time, citing the progress he had made in prison - he has not had on disciplinary infraction in the years since his sentence, she said.
But the arguments didn't sway Warshaw, who said the lack of remorse McFarlane showed and the brutality of the crime were evidence that he could commit another, similar offense.
McFarlane will serve 85 percent - or 51 years - of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
McFarlane was 19 years old when he killed Mason during the dice game robbery.
Mason was a Trenton native, but had moved to Bordentown with his wife and children a few years before his murder. He was recalled as a hard-working construction employee who liked to shoot pool and likely just stopped by the dice game on his way home.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman