¬MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A former Memphis Police officer wants a judge to send him to jail for eight years for a litany of charges, including a murder-for-hire plot and lying to police about his own shooting.
Norman Benjamin is charged with giving a handgun to a minor, lying to police and solicitation of murder. His lawyer hoped a mental evaluation would keep those serious charges out of court, but he was found competent to stand trial. He appeared in court on December 9, 2011, his first appearance since he was declared competent, waiving a preliminary hearing and grand jury in order to send his case to criminal court more quickly. At that point, Benjamin will request a plea deal of an eight-year sentence for pleading guilty to all charges against him.
"The proposal will be eight years, that will cover all charges and it'll be up to a judge to determine the manner and method of service on that sentence," explained Benjamin's attorney, Leslie Ballin.
The former MPD Sergeant claimed he was shot by a Latino man on Labor Day weekend while on duty. He later changed his story, stating he was shot in a domestic incident. Martha Mote was arrested and charged with second degree murder, but the DA's office dismissed the case.
While investigating Benjamin's shooting, police found the officer had a wife, a fiancée and a teen girlfriend. He's also accused of organizing a murder for hire plot to kill his underage girlfriend's boyfriend.
