Post by heaven on Mar 11, 2008 17:32:54 GMT -5
Juanita Bynum's husband pleads guilty to assault charge
By ERRIN HAINES
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Moments after admitting to grabbing his wife by the throat, throwing her down and kicking her on the pavement of a hotel parking lot, Thomas Weeks III turned to Juanita Bynum and apologized to her in open court.
The couple then walked out of the Fulton County courthouse together and signaled that their relationship may not yet be over.
Weeks pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday, and was sentenced to three years' probation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Weeks must also undergo violence and anger counseling and complete 200 hours of community service that cannot be church-related.
"They are in communication and working on their relationship and the status of their marriage," said Ed Garland, Weeks' attorney in the criminal case.
Weeks was sentenced as a first offender, meaning that his record will be cleared provided he complete the terms of his sentence.
Prosecutors alleged that Weeks beat Bynum - a prominent televangelist whose message of women's empowerment resonated with thousands of followers - in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel in August. During the hearing, Judge T. Jackson Bedford cautioned the couple to take the experience as a life lesson and encouraged them to walk away from emotionally charged situations in the future.
"There are millions of people who look to you for leadership, both morally and spiritually," he said. "Be mindful of that as you go forward."
At the end of the hearing, Weeks turned to Bynum, who had been seated in the second row of the courtroom.
"I want to apologize to my wife for all she's had to go through," he said.
Bynum stood as he addressed her, nodded in response and quietly thanked him.
As another condition of his probation, Weeks must have no violent contact with his wife, though the two were allowed to resume communications, which previously had been barred. Wasting no time, the couple appeared on the steps of the courthouse.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said during a brief press conference that it was a personal plea from Bynum initiated by Weeks' grandfather that convinced prosecutors not to pursue jail time for Weeks.
"Many people in her situation would've been asking for him to be put in jail," Howard said, calling Bynum's request "courageous."
Bynum said that she was overwhelmed by Weeks' grandfather's plea.
"I don't believe my husband is a criminal," she said. "I don't believe he is a man who deserves to be put in jail."
Weeks and Bynum said their focus would now be on healing, and that she was touched by his courtroom apology.
Weeks said he hoped people could learn from the couple's situation, and that he would be "reflecting and regrouping" in the coming weeks.
On Monday, the couple saw each other for the first time in months, when Bynum appeared at Weeks' divorce lawyer's office to be deposed in that case. She said the meeting was emotional.
"When I saw him, it allowed me to reflect on the first time we got married," she said. "I thought about the time wasted and the time lost, and I said this has got to stop."
Bynum filed for divorce from Weeks on Sept. 27, citing "cruel treatment" and saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken" about a month after he was accused of attacking her.
Since then, the two - either firsthand or through various spokespeople - have issued a series of conflicting statements about the initial incident and the couple's marital travails.
According to a police report, Bynum told officers that on Aug. 22, Weeks "choked her, pushed her down, kicked and stomped her ... until a bellman pulled him off of her."
Weeks initially pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.
The couple wed in a million-dollar, televised ceremony in 2002.
By ERRIN HAINES
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Moments after admitting to grabbing his wife by the throat, throwing her down and kicking her on the pavement of a hotel parking lot, Thomas Weeks III turned to Juanita Bynum and apologized to her in open court.
The couple then walked out of the Fulton County courthouse together and signaled that their relationship may not yet be over.
Weeks pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday, and was sentenced to three years' probation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Weeks must also undergo violence and anger counseling and complete 200 hours of community service that cannot be church-related.
"They are in communication and working on their relationship and the status of their marriage," said Ed Garland, Weeks' attorney in the criminal case.
Weeks was sentenced as a first offender, meaning that his record will be cleared provided he complete the terms of his sentence.
Prosecutors alleged that Weeks beat Bynum - a prominent televangelist whose message of women's empowerment resonated with thousands of followers - in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel in August. During the hearing, Judge T. Jackson Bedford cautioned the couple to take the experience as a life lesson and encouraged them to walk away from emotionally charged situations in the future.
"There are millions of people who look to you for leadership, both morally and spiritually," he said. "Be mindful of that as you go forward."
At the end of the hearing, Weeks turned to Bynum, who had been seated in the second row of the courtroom.
"I want to apologize to my wife for all she's had to go through," he said.
Bynum stood as he addressed her, nodded in response and quietly thanked him.
As another condition of his probation, Weeks must have no violent contact with his wife, though the two were allowed to resume communications, which previously had been barred. Wasting no time, the couple appeared on the steps of the courthouse.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said during a brief press conference that it was a personal plea from Bynum initiated by Weeks' grandfather that convinced prosecutors not to pursue jail time for Weeks.
"Many people in her situation would've been asking for him to be put in jail," Howard said, calling Bynum's request "courageous."
Bynum said that she was overwhelmed by Weeks' grandfather's plea.
"I don't believe my husband is a criminal," she said. "I don't believe he is a man who deserves to be put in jail."
Weeks and Bynum said their focus would now be on healing, and that she was touched by his courtroom apology.
Weeks said he hoped people could learn from the couple's situation, and that he would be "reflecting and regrouping" in the coming weeks.
On Monday, the couple saw each other for the first time in months, when Bynum appeared at Weeks' divorce lawyer's office to be deposed in that case. She said the meeting was emotional.
"When I saw him, it allowed me to reflect on the first time we got married," she said. "I thought about the time wasted and the time lost, and I said this has got to stop."
Bynum filed for divorce from Weeks on Sept. 27, citing "cruel treatment" and saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken" about a month after he was accused of attacking her.
Since then, the two - either firsthand or through various spokespeople - have issued a series of conflicting statements about the initial incident and the couple's marital travails.
According to a police report, Bynum told officers that on Aug. 22, Weeks "choked her, pushed her down, kicked and stomped her ... until a bellman pulled him off of her."
Weeks initially pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.
The couple wed in a million-dollar, televised ceremony in 2002.
