In a very emotional plea to Fulton County Judge Craig Schwall, Anna Gail Hardimon pleaded with him to give her son leniency in the sentencing phase in the murder trial of Young Vito. She first apologized to Mario Hamilton’s family and friends by saying that she was sorry for their loss.
Vito’s mother, Anna Gail Hardimon, defended him despite the verdict.
We spoke with a family member who stated that Mr. Hardimon is happy that he didn’t get convicted of murder as he believed he was only defending himself.
The judge in the case could have given him as little as 6 years for all the charges but based on his past criminal history and that he accepted a ‘”Alford” guilty plea — which means he didn’t admit real guilt, but rather agreed that a prosecutor might find enough evidence to convince a jury to convict — on charges that he pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend and her 16-year-old daughter.
According to his legal team, Hardimon would have never entered the Alford guilty plea if he had known it would have been used as evidence in his sentencing phase if he were found guilty. The jury wasn’t allowed to hear this evidence during the trial.
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