Richmond man receives 10 years of incarceration for March 2021 stabbing

Mike Emery, Richmond Palladium-Item
·2 min read
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RICHMOND, Ind. — A Richmond man has been sentenced to a decade of incarceration after admitting he stabbed a man.

Maurice William Harper, 36, pleaded guilty to Level 3 felony aggravated battery after reaching a plea agreement with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, according to Judge Gregory Horn's sentencing order added last week to the case record. The deal dismissed two Level 2 felony robbery counts and a Level 5 felony battery charge.

Horn sentenced Harper to 12 years with two years suspended to probation as required by the plea agreement. Nine years is the advisory sentence for a Level 3 felony.

Harper remains in Wayne County's jail waiting transfer to the Indiana Department of Correction. When sentenced, he received credit for 536 days served and 179 good-time days. With the maximum good-time credit, the sentence's executed portion would be 7½ years.

Harper was jailed March 25, 2021, after Richmond Police Department officers responded about 1:20 a.m. to Apartment A6 at Jerry Geier Apartments, 2001 W. Main St., according to an affidavit of probable cause. They found Jacob Layne with lacerations on both sides of his neck, a severely damaged ear and stab wounds to his torso and side. Another resident, Aaron Jones, also had been attacked.

Layne told investigators that he had visited Harper's apartment about 4 p.m. the previous day and was attacked by Harper and another man, the affidavit said. The men took $250 from him.

Harper later contacted Layne, then was one of three men to enter Layne's apartment, according to he affidavit. Harper attacked Jones upstairs while Layne was tased by another man downstairs. When Harper returned downstairs, he punched Layne, then grabbed him from behind. Layne fell to a kneeling position, and Harper stabbed him.

Harper has a previous felony conviction for battery of a pregnant woman and previous misdemeanor convictions for domestic battery and disorderly conduct, according to court records.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond man receives 10 years of incarceration for 2021 stabbing