Northampton man gets 3-5 years in state prison for firing assault rifle into neighbors’ home

[Reptile]

NORTHAMPTON — A Northampton man who fired an automatic weapon into his neighbors’ home last year, claiming that his dog told him to do it, was sentenced to three to five years in state prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to the incident.


Joshua Martinelli, 30, pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to four counts of armed assault with intent to murder; unlawful possession of a large-capacity rifle; unlawful possession of a feeding device for large capacity rifle; unlawful possession of ammunition without a license; discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building; unlawful possession of a large-capacity rifle; improper storage of a large capacity rifle and malicious destruction of property over $1,200.


The charges are related to the Dec. 7, 2023, assault on Wright Avenue in Northampton, where Martinelli lived in a two-family home from which he fired rounds into the adjoining unit. Four people present in that unit took cover, fearing for their own and their cats’ lives, according to a Tuesday statement from the Northwestern district attorney’s office. None of the people were injured, although one of the adults later found a bullet hole that had gone through his pants without touching him.

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Northampton man gets 3-5 years in state prison for firing assault rifle into neighbors’ home

NORTHAMPTON — A Northampton man who fired an automatic weapon into his neighbors’ home last year, claiming that his dog told him to do it, was sentenced to three to five years in state prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to...

www.gazettenet.com

 

[In God We Trust]

The old Berkowitz defense. “My dog told me to do it.”

How did that work out for him?

 

[PaulR]

maybe, just maybe, when you really think about it........some people really shouldn't have guns. I 'aint read the story yet, just sayin, so don't judge me too quick.....

 

[jkelly1229]

maybe, just maybe, when you really think about it........some people really shouldn't have guns. I 'aint read the story yet, just sayin, so don't judge me too quick.....

Thats valid...the problem is the who decides which people shouldnt have guns

 

[OnTheRoad]

Joshua Martinelli, 30, pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to four counts of armed assault with intent to murder; unlawful possession of a large-capacity rifle; unlawful possession of a feeding device for large capacity rifle; unlawful possession of ammunition without a license; discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building; unlawful possession of a large-capacity rifle; improper storage of a large capacity rifle and malicious destruction of property over $1,200.

 

[Horatio Alger Jr]

If it was an automatic rifle, as the article states, where are those charges?

 

[alan226]

If it was an automatic rifle, as the article states, where are those charges?

Didn't you know that any big. black scary rifle is an "automatic rifle" now? Haven't you seen one of those bolt action automatic rifles?

 

[Drix]

If it was an automatic rifle, as the article states, where are those charges?

You don't understand, it was a fully semi automatic rifle.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

If he really was that screwed up, his lawyer did not get him a very good deal.

 

[Dennis in MA]

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Dammit. You beat me to it!

 

[Rob Boudrie]

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That scene would never make it into a movie today.

 

[Knob Creek]

What happened to the Dog?

 

[Upland]

If I did everything my dog told me to do, I would be lots of trouble too.

 

[MGnoob]

If I did everything my dog told me to do, I would be lots of trouble too.

Kill all the phonies

 

[In God We Trust]

I wonder if the libertarians of NES think this guy should be walking around with a rifle again in 3-5 years?

“If nOt iN prISon, aLl riGhts shOuLd be rEsToRed!”

 

[gerrycaruso]

If this guy truly believes that his dog told him to do it, maybe he shouldn't have a gun.

 

[MGnoob]

If this guy truly believes that his dog told him to do it, maybe he shouldn't have a gun.

Maybe he’s just saying it’s just crazy to me

 

[MGnoob]

If this guy truly believes that his dog told him to do it, maybe he shouldn't have a gun.

I’ve had some crazy thoughts, but at no point did my dog tell me to do something? I told my dog what to do.

 

[MGnoob]

Fetch?

 

[Dench]

Should be in a mental institution not a jail.

 

[gerrycaruso]

Yes, he should be in a nut house unless he's not really crazy and just using it as a defense.

 

[Dennis in MA]

I wonder if the libertarians of NES think this guy should be walking around with a rifle again in 3-5 years?

“If nOt iN prISon, aLl riGhts shOuLd be rEsToRed!”

Nice confounding of hte issue. LOL

There's only two possible scenarios here:

1. He decided to shoot and is blaming the dog to hopefully get off. He does 3-5. YES, he gets ALL his rights back when he gets out.

2. He's as loony as a jaybird. And they discover this (hahahaha - c'mon, assume the state is on top of things and they treat the severely mentally deranged liked they did pre-1981) and lock him into a mental institution for likely the rest of his life due to other violent behavior. Ergo, no gun access. Problem solved.

Is the system perfect? Not by a long shot. But are you going to suspend YOUR rights because the system isn't perfect?

 

[VigilantesLiberi]

I wonder if the libertarians of NES think this guy should be walking around with a rifle again in 3-5 years?

“If nOt iN prISon, aLl riGhts shOuLd be rEsToRed!”

I don't know if this makes me a libertarian, but in a free society his neighbors would have fired back in full auto and won 4-v-1. Who needs an expensive court system?

 

[Toast]

That scene would never make it into a movie today.

Apparently, when Mel Brooks was told he couldn't make that movie today, he replied that he couldn't make it then.

 

[LakeTrout]

maybe, just maybe, when you really think about it........some people really shouldn't have guns. I 'aint read the story yet, just sayin, so don't judge me too quick.....

Maybe, just maybe, when you really think about it….we shouldn’t allow someone, who fired shots into his neighbors apartment because he believed his dog told him to, to be among the general populace. Someone with that problem needs to be kept away from the population. Because even if you take away that persons legal access to firearms, there are an awful lot of other ways they can commit mass murder when the next dog tells them to.

All free men can keep and carry whatever they want. If someone is such a threat to society that they can’t legally own a gun, they need to be removed from society.

 

[In God We Trust]

Maybe, just maybe, when you really think about it….we shouldn’t allow someone, who fired shots into his neighbors apartment because he believed his dog told him to, to be among the general populace. Someone with that problem needs to be kept away from the population. Because even if you take away that persons legal access to firearms, there are an awful lot of other ways they can commit mass murder when the next dog tells them to.

All free men can keep and carry whatever they want. If someone is such a threat to society that they can’t legally own a gun, they need to be removed from society.

But who makes that decision and what do they base it on? Here we would do it if they voted for Harris. Some would base it on voting for trump. Some would base it on being stupid enough to believe in voting at all.

Now where will we lock them away and how will we fund that place? Community donations? If you don’t donate, is the loony allowed to walk past your house with a rifle once a week?

 

[VigilantesLiberi]

If you don’t donate, is the loony allowed to walk past your house with a rifle once a week?

If they walk onto my property, I own them.

 

[In God We Trust]

If they walk onto my property, I own them.

I was assuming they would stay on the public sidewalk while shooting at your house.

 

[VigilantesLiberi]

I was assuming they would stay on the public sidewalk while shooting at your house.

Then this is a f***ing pickle.

 

[LakeTrout]

But who makes that decision and what do they base it on? Here we would do it if they voted for Harris. Some would base it on voting for trump. Some would base it on being stupid enough to believe in voting at all.

Now where will we lock them away and how will we fund that place? Community donations? If you don’t donate, is the loony allowed to walk past your house with a rifle once a week?

I’m not sure if you’re being serious but I’ll try to respond as if you are.

I haven’t seen anyone say lock away based on who they voted for. And if there are people who said that, they’re such a small minority that they aren’t going to be taken seriously. Not sure why that was your thought.

There are, however, people saying that certain violent behaviors establish an individual as one that needs to be excluded from society forever. Acts or attempts of terrorism and mass murder, child rape, and shooting into your neighbors f***ing apartment because you believe your dog told you to, would be good places to start.

My suggestion on how to fund it is to remove all non-violent offenders from prisons and have them repay whatever debt they owe society through acts of community service or repayment of those that they’ve wronged. And use what otherwise would fund the imprisonment of those folks, to house these other ones that actually are a threat to society.

But if you think that taking aware their gun license is a better solution to prevent them from murdering people, god I hope you’ve also found a way to keep them from obtaining fertilizer and diesel fuel.