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A judge in Hackensack let stand the original 60-year state prison sentence given to Joseph Randone in June 2012 after jurors convicted him of the assaults.
Ordered by a state appeals court to recalculate Randone’s parole eligibility, Superior Court Judge Edward A. Jerejian knocked it down yesterday from nearly 38 years to a little over 29.
Joseph Randone (STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter)
Garfield police stormed Randone’s home and rescued the girl a short time after the December 2009 kidnapping, during which they said he slashed her with a box cutter.
They discovered during the investigation that the roofer had been having sex with her over the previous two years while taking the children on outings, buying them clothes and supplies and looking after them.
Randone appealed his conviction and sentence on a variety of grounds. The state Appellate Division in June upheld the conviction but sent the case back to Bergen County.
The higher court cited a procedural error in how the judge at the time applied state sentencing guidelines.
Randone, who had two previous felony convictions before the incident, declined to speak when given the opportunity yesterday.
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Demetra Maurice, defense attorney Francis Meehan, Joseph Randone (STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter)
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