Conviction Tossed For 2014 Red Bank Attempted Murder Suspect

RED BANK, NJ - A Long Branch man’s attempted murder conviction and 50-year prison sentence was thrown out by an appeals court last week, with three judges concluding that the man’s statements to police shouldn't have been used as evidence during his trial in 2017.

Anthony Sims Jr., 32, is currently serving a five-decade sentence in state prison for allegedly shooting a man in Red Bank on April 9, 2014.

Sims was arrested in 2014 after an unidentified man sitting in his grandmother’s driveway was shot at with around 12 bullets, according to court documents. The victim’s grandmother saw her grandson bleeding profusely in the vehicle after hearing the gunshots. When she asked who did this to him, he allegedly named Sims, but when questioned by police, the victim claimed he didn’t know who shot him.

A panel on the state appellate court found that the detectives were deceptive in their interviewing, did not tell Sims why he was being arrested and falsely disclosed that Sims was being interviewed for an assault rather than attempted murder, per an NJ.com report.

The court found that the nearly five-decade sentence for attempted murder, in addition to five to 10 years for two weapons offenses, was “manifestly excessive," according to the publication.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the court’s decision. Prosecutor Spokesman Charles Webster told the Asbury Park Press that the MCPO plans to appeal the decision of the appellate court.