Thanks to Assistant District Attorney John Paul Bezerra of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit for helping secure justice in a case involving a defendant charged with Aggravated Assault with Serious Bodily Injury, VUFA 6105 (person prohibited from possessing a firearm), and related charges. The charges stemmed from a drunken argument between intimate partners. Initially, the defendant told police and detectives that he lit fireworks to scare away his girlfriend. After medical records and forensics showed that the victim was shot and the defendant had gunshot residue on his hands, the defendant’s counsel pivoted to claiming self-defense. After being found guilty by a jury, he pled guilty to VUFA 6105. The defendant is scheduled for sentencing before the Hon. Monica Gibbs on June 10, 2024.