LOS ANGELES : Man Convicted of Mugging Sentenced Under ‘3 Strikes’
The defendant in one of the first two “three strikes” cases filed in Los Angeles was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison for attacking a transient and stealing his money.
Charles Ernest Bentley, 38, was convicted by a jury in February of beating and robbing the 60-year-old victim of 50 cents in Downtown Los Angeles on March 7, 1994--the day the “three strikes” law went into effect.
Bentley approached the man from behind, pushed him into a wall, threw him to the ground and beat him with his fists before taking all the change the victim had.
Bentley had two prior convictions for violent felonies, making him eligible for a stiffer sentence for his latest crime.
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