On October 12 in Kearney, New Jersey, impatience got the best of 25-year-old Amber Thompson while waiting at a Marshalls checkout line.
While in line, Thompson began threatening the woman in front of her, who was at the store with her family. Thompson then proceeded to leave the line to grab a set of knives from the store. After finally being able to check out, Thompson followed the victim to her car, where she took one of the knives out of the packaging and stabbed her several times. Thompson then went back into the store, and was eventually found by the police atop the baby changing station in a Marshalls bathroom holding a bloody knife.
Thompson’s impatience at the Marshalls and resulting actions will lead to vast legal consequences, as she is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of weapons, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and endangering another person.
Let’s go through each of these charges and what the punishments can be for each:
The first charge is “aggravated assault”, which is covered by the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice section 2C:12-1 (b)(2). Later in the statute, subsection (13), qualifies this incident as a crime of the third degree, since the police have confirmed from the hospital that the victim suffered bodily injury but no life-threatening injuries. Punishment for third degree aggravated assault is 0-5 years in state prison and a fine up to $15,000 upon conviction. For individuals with no prior criminal record, there is also a presumption of non-imprisonment.
The second charge, “unlawful possession of weapons”, is covered by NJ Rev Stat § 2C:39-5 subsection (d), which discusses “other weapons” that are non-firearms. Possession of these “other weapons” is considered a fourth degree crime. The term of incarceration for this crime is a maximum of 18 months.
Next is “possession of weapons for unlawful purposes,” discussed in NJ Rev Stat § 2C:39-4 (2)(d). Since the weapon was a non-firearm, it is a crime of third degree, and is punishable by 3-5 years in prison.
The last charge is “endangering another person,” which is NJ Rev Stat § 2C:24-7.1 Since in this incident, Thompson certainly engaged in conduct that posed a substantial risk of death to the victim, it would be considered a third degree crime. This is punishable by up to 5 years in state prison.
Doing the math, the total maximum sentence for this crime would be 16.5 years in prison. The prosecution will have to point to the severity of the injuries despite them being non-life threatening, the possible prior record of Thompson, and how Thompson can continue to be a “danger to society” in order for her to be convicted of the maximum sentence.
Ultimately, it may just be a better idea to wait the extra ten minutes in line, regardless of how long the person in front of you is taking.
Author: Benny Greenspan | Wild About Trial
