Different news outlets carry different levels of detail
(See This News Report)
Still a pretty harsh sentence. But given the crime he was arrested for (breaking woman's arm), the fact that he was warned and bit the officer afterward, and the prior convictions, it is more understandable. (And of course, it may well be reversed on appeal.
EDIT: Link.
Quote:Marquez, 35, was convicted of hurling body fluids on Sapulpa Officer Charles Gadd while Gadd was taking Marquez to jail following a domestic disturbance in which a woman's arm was broken.
The 1996 state law that makes it a felony to place bodily fluids on law enforcement officers was enacted amid concerns that deadly diseases, such as AIDS, could be transmitted this way.
Gadd told the jury that Marquez spit on him despite being warned and then bit him when Gadd was trying to prevent Marquez from spitting again.
Gadd and Marquez tested negative for any communicable diseases.
The jury took 15 minutes on May 14 to recommend the life sentence. Marquez's prior felony convictions, including rape and burglary, were taken into consideration in determining the sentence.
(See This News Report)
Still a pretty harsh sentence. But given the crime he was arrested for (breaking woman's arm), the fact that he was warned and bit the officer afterward, and the prior convictions, it is more understandable. (And of course, it may well be reversed on appeal.
EDIT: Link.