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Last March, Sparrow Bush resident David Carlson was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Robert Freehill to five years in prison after he was convicted by a jury for his role in the death of Norris Acosta-Sanchez, who was wanted for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in Ramapo.
Carlson befriended Acosta-Sanchez, who eventually confided his crime to him over beers. After several failed attempts by law enforcement to arrest Acosta-Sanchez, Carlson reportedly took justice into his own hands and wound up shooting him in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun, claiming self-defense. Acosta-Sanchez had been staying at Carlson’s summer cabin at the time of his death.
Over the summer, an appellate panel decision dismissed the manslaughter conviction against Carlson. Now, prosecutors in Westchester County are planning to appeal that decision. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has since filed an application to appeal the decision of the appellate panel, which is the first step in getting in front of a judge.
The appellate panel ruled that jurors were prejudiced by the prosecutors’ repeated use of the term “statutory rape” during the initial trial, according to multiple reports, leading to the new trial for Carlson.
According to a MidHudsonNews report, Carlson has remained steadfast in his insistence that the shooting was in self-defense.
Carlson was initially found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison, but he’s been free on $500,000 bail, pending his appeal.
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