NJ Supreme Court Overturns Man’s Armed Robbery Conviction

A New Jersey man convicted in two armed robberies that occurred nearly 10 years ago has had his convictions reversed.

In Thursday’s ruling, the state Supreme Court held the trial court made a mistake when it didn’t allow Marcus King to act as his own lawyer.

King and two other men were indicted for robbing two hotels in central New Jersey in the fall of 2002. King initially pleaded guilty but then withdrew his plea and went to trial.

He sought to represent himself, but the court barred him because it concluded he didn’t adequately understand court rules or evidence rules. King was represented by an attorney and was convicted and sentenced to 35 years.

The Supreme Court reversed his convictions and sent the matter back to the trial court.

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