CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WINA) – Daniel Bordon will serve 3 years and 10 months for his role in the beating of DeAndre Harris.
He was given 20 years with 16 years and two months suspended after entering an Alford plea to malicious wounding last May. An Alford plea acknowledges evidence needed to convict without admission of guilt. The 20-year-old will be on supervised probation for five years following release.
Defense attorney Michael Hallahan called Borden’s parents as character witnesses. Richard Borden talked at length about videos shot on August 12, looking more like a forensics analyst than the father of a son facing up to 20 years in prison. Questions on the videos and other issues deemed not relevant continued, with Judge Richard Moore interrupting multiple times and stating at one point that he “would keep interrupting if I have to,” and would not “let this sentencing hearing be made about anything else.” Eventually, he called a recess to let Hallahan and Borden’s father cool down.
During cross examination, Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania noted that Daniel Borden at one point looked gleeful when he bragged to someone interviewing him about what he had done. Borden’s father stated emphatically, “I don’t think my son did anything wrong, sir.”
Borden himself told Judge Moore that he is not a bigot but is remorseful. Harris decided not to attend sentencing, but Borden offered an apology to Harris and told the audience, “I’m truly sorry this happened to your town.”
