Paul Ali Slater, shot five times by a Loganville mother in an incident that captured national attention, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison.
The 32-year-old Long Island native, who barely survived the shooting, pleaded guilty to burglary charges and was sentenced by Walton County Superior Court Judge Ken Wynne to 20 years, with 10 to serve.
Slater was shot by the 37-year-old working mom as she hid, along with her 9-year-old twins, in an attic crawlspace after the intruder forced his way into her home with a crowbar. When Slater discovered them, she responded with six bullets from her .38 automatic revolver, missing once.
Walton Sheriff Joe Chapman said the bullets punctured Slater’s lungs, liver and stomach. He was released from a local hospital in February and transferred to the Walton jail.
Slater told the court on Tuesday he believed the house was empty, according to Channel 2 Action News. Aggravated assault charges against him were dropped as part of a plea deal.
Investigators had speculated that Slater confronted the woman, who would become a hero to gun rights advocates, after overhearing her talking on the phone to her husband.
Somehow Slater managed to flee the scene, but he didn’t get far, crashing his car into a neighbor’s fence. When asked why he broke into the Henderson Ridge Drive home, Slater told deputies, “I was there to steal,” according to Chapman.
The Gwinnett resident was released from jail there in late August after serving six months for simple battery and three counts of probation violation. Slater has six other arrests in Gwinnett dating back to 2008, according to public records.
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