A 22-year-old Trenton man originally from Guatamala was sentenced to seven years in prison for stabbing his roommate to death in 2013
TRENTON - A Trenton man who stabbed his roommate to death after a night of drinking and a fight two years ago, was given a seven-year prison sentence Friday.
Fredy Gonzalez-Augustin, 22, appeared in court Friday and apologized for the murder. He took responsibility for the crime, he said by way of a translator, but added that it, "could happen to anybody."
Fredy Gonzalez-Augustin, 20, was charged with murder and weapons offenses after he allegedly stabbed his neighbor, Raul Cruz, to death with a kitchen knife early on Sept. 29, 2013. Gonzalez-Augustin, an immigrant from Guatamala who moved to Trenton five years ago, has spent the past two years in jail after he was charged with the 2013 slaying of his roommate, 24-year-old Raul Cruz.
Though Gonzalez-Augustin was initially charged with homicide and was offered a 30-year prison sentence in a plea deal, his charge was knocked down to manslaughter prior to the sentencing Friday. The weapons charges he initially incurred were dismissed.
The two years he's spent in jail will be used as credit toward the seven-year sentence, Judge Peter Warshaw clarified Friday.
ALSO: Trenton man accused of stabbing offered 30-years in plea deal
The charges stem from a night of drinking in Sept., 2013 when Cruz and Gonzalez-Augustin were at the home they shared on the 800 block of South Clinton Avenue. The conversation turned into a fight and Gonzalez-Augustin grabbed a kitchen knife, Warshaw told the courtroom.
Gonzalez-Augustin's attorney, Maleika Montgomery argued that Gonzalez-Augustin acted in self-defense when he used the knife to stab his roommate in the chest, killing him.
"It's unlikely to reoccur," she said.
Police who arrived at the scene a little after midnight in 2013 found others trying to restrain Gonzalez-Augustin.
"It wasn't my intention to take away the life of this person," Gonzalez-Augustin said Friday, adding that Cruz wasn't just his roommate, but also his friend. "We knew each other for a long time."
Warshaw upheld the state's request for a seven-year sentence Friday, saying that he believed Gonzalez-Augustin did not intent to kill his roommate, but dismissing the 22-year-old's claim that it could, "happen to anybody."
"One of the things that's concerning to me is the volume of alcohol," Warshaw said, referring to how much the two men had to drink at the time of the murder. That could have contributed to the stabbing, he added.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
