on March 29, 2021, after multiple people reported finding Palla's body on the station's main platform. Police responded to the Morristown Train Station on Morris Street around 12:30 a.m. He did not factor Harris' alcohol or drug consumption into the sentence, or his mental disabilities, IEPs in schooling, epilepsy and seizures, or that his father was in prison for the sexual assault of his sister. He said Harris had put "more thought" behind the crime, and it was not done spontaneously. The judge said he believed Harris was remorseful and had "no doubt" he had a difficult upbringing, but said he had to focus on the severity of the crime to ensure the protection of the community. "He's a very generous person, a very giving person." "He is one of the nicest, kindest people you could meet," Harris said of Palla, adding that he had been his best friend. Harris clutched a yellow piece of paper and read from it his scribbled words, saying he was "completely stressed out" and had been "taking the loss very hard." "The victim was killed as a consequence of being nothing more than a generous and kind spirit," Schellhorn said.Īlthough defense attorneys indicated that Harris picked up a brick while arguing with Palla, prosecutors said Harris armed himself with a brick from the station's ongoing construction site about a half-mile from the train station's main platform, with the intent to strike the victim. "The defendant targeted the victim and killed him over nothing more than several hundred dollars." "This case is tragic in the most literal sense insofar that it was the victim's own generosity that led to his death," Schellhorn said. Prosecutors said Palla bought Harris pizza at the 7-Eleven on Morris Street just minutes before his death. He would give a stranger the shirt off his back, generous to a fault." "He was a beautiful soul who could laugh at the simplest silliness and just wanted to smile. "He loved listening to Jackson Brown and The Eagles," the statement said. Palla's family was not present in court, but they shared a statement with the court that was read by prosecutors that described him as a beloved father, uncle and big brother. LOCAL: State wants dismissal of suit claiming troopers beat wrongly accused Wayne man on Route 80 PARK REOPENS: Boonton reopens Pepe Field after two-year, $525K makeover at former Superfund site Harris' actions were, in part, fueled by his drug addiction and his immaturity, which she said led to his failure to appreciate the consequences of his actions. Harris was also diagnosed with lead poisoning as a child and was "neglected" growing up while his father served a 15-year prison term, Martin said. Martin also spoke of the struggles Harris had growing up as well as several mental health disabilities, including a seizure disorder and epilepsy. Harris is "haunted" by the death of his friend every day and was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol at the time - which likely hindered Harris' poor decision not to call the police, Martin said. Defense attorney Elizabeth Martin sought a 16-year sentence, saying Harris was remorseful and did not contemplate at the time that his actions would lead to his friend's death. State Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor's sentence took into consideration what the prosecutor and the defense attorneys sought.Ĭhristopher Schellhorn, a supervising assistant prosecutor in Morris County, asked for 20 years, saying the amended offer balanced the seriousness of the crime with documented struggles, including cognitive difficulties, Harris endured as a child and adult. Harris, who admitted he stole money from the victim, Matthew Palla, 60, of Morristown, on March 28, 2021, after striking him, will also serve a concurrent sentence for theft. Lamar Harris, 34, was initially indicted on murder charges and faced up to life in prison, but he will instead serve just under the mid-level range for first-degree aggravated manslaughter, a crime with a penalty that ranges between 10 and 30 years behind bars. Watch Video: What happens when someone is arrested and charged with a crime?Ī Morristown man who admitted he fatally struck a friend with a brick on the town's train station steps in 2021 will serve 18 years in state prison, a state Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
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