Bergenfield Man Gets 364 Days In Aggravated Assault of Girlfriend
By Mary K. Miraglia
HACKENSACK, N.J. (Friday, March 10, 2017) — A Bergenfield man who admitted punching his now deceased girlfriend in the face was sentenced Friday to 364 days in the Bergen County Jail against five years’ probation.
“I punched her in the face,” Mark Maxon, 59, told Judge Christopher Kazlau Friday, March 10.
“How many times did you punch her in the face?” the judge asked. “Several times?’
“I don’t recall,” Maxon told him. “It’s a good possibility.”
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Jessica Gomperts said “This assault changed the victim’s life. She lived in fear of the defendant walking back through the door, even when she was in the hospital. After she went back home, the house where they had lived on Melrose Ave. in Bergenfield was foreclosed and she had to move into a hotel.”
Judge Christopher Kazlau imposed the sentence after Mark Maxon, 59, admitted punching Patrice Migliore “on purpose,” and said although he was drunk at the time, he remembers doing it.
“He very forthrightly stated that no one forced him to drink, that he was able to walk, talk, and punch the victim in the face. She suffered significant bodily injury, so I am satisfied that in no way does he deny any of the elements of the case,” the judge said.
Gomperts said she does not know if Migliore’s death was related to her injuries, which occurred several months ago. But she said Migliore “would want justice, and noted she had been present for every other court hearing scheduled in the case.
Maxon’s defense attorney, S. Emile Lisboa, said his client “has lost everything” as a result of the domestic violence, which according to Gomperts was the first such incident in the couple’s history.
“He regrets everything deeply, your honor,” Lisboa said. “When I told him the victim had died, he became very emotional. And he has lost everything except the support of his children. His job, his house — his son brought him dentures, but they’re damaged and he can’t eat because he has no teeth. He’s been eating mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs the last 7 months, judge.
“He has to stop drinking. I have talked to him about this. He doesn’t have a lengthy record. I think the appropriate sentence is probation, with drug and alcohol rules.”
Gomperts said Migliore was hospitalized for at least a week recovering from her injuries.
Maxon was charged with second degree aggravated assault, but the charge was reduced to third degree in return for his guilty plea.
Maxon has been in the Bergen County Jail for 223 days, so he can be released in about four and a half months. He will also have to submit a DNA sample to the crime database, participate in anger management counseling, undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, and participate in an alcohol treatment program and follow all recommendations, Kazlau told him.
