Stepfather pleads for mercy over his stepson’s sentence after he was attacked with ceramic tiles in Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 53-year-old Mark Willis was sentenced to three years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to hitting his stepfather in the head with ceramic tiles last year.

On July 2, the stepfather heard screaming coming from the garage where Willis lived and saw an argument between Willis and a woman. The woman had previously been banned from the house. When the stepfather tried to call 911, the woman knocked the phone out of his hand.

The stepfather then held her to the ground while he waited for the police to show up. Willis took nearby ceramic tiles and smashed them into his stepfather’s head, fracturing his skull. A neighbor helped break up the fight and Willis left the scene before police arrived.

The stepfather asked for mercy in his stepson’s sentence because Willis’ mother – the victim’s wife – had died several months before the incident. Willis was originally charged with malicious wounding and negligent bodily harm to a family member, but the sentence was downgraded to unlawful wounding.

Willis entered a plea deal with a maximum sentence of three years. He was sentenced to three years in prison and two years probation on the condition that Willis maintain consistent good behavior for three years.

“Here in Norfolk, we always balance the need for public safety with the need to prioritize the healing of our victims,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “The evidence in this case would have supported a much longer sentence than the sentence we sought, but being victim-centered does not mean only seeking the maximum sentence.” It also means offering a degree of mercy to honor a stepparent’s wishes, like we did here.”

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