NEWTON, N.J., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A New Jersey man who says he killed a man who molested him as a child was sentenced to prison Thursday and even had the judge apologizing for the punishment.
Clark Fredericks was sentenced Thursday to serve five years at the New Jersey State Prison for the 2012 stabbing death of Dennis Pegg.
Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Critchley handed down the sentence and said 85 percent of it must be served before Fredericks, who has already served more than three years, is eligible for parole. That means Fredericks will be behind bars for at least another year.
In a highly unusual move, Critchley told the 50-year-old Fredericks he was "sorry" to have to deliver the sentence -- but noted that a crime is a crime and he presides over a society of laws.
"I am mindful of the fact that the man who is here being sentenced today did this because of what was done to him," Critchley said. "He is not a criminal."
Fredericks was arrested in 2012 after stabbing Pegg 30 times in retaliation for sexual abuse he says he received as a child.
"I don't feel like I am sentencing someone who was committed to a criminal lifestyle. What happened to him as a child made him snap," Critchley added.
"I said over and over to him (Pegg) 'how does it feel raping little kids now?'" Fredericks said previously during a plea hearing. "I also repeated 'it's not so fun raping little kids now, is it? At the end I slit his throat."
Although he has already served three years, the judge said Fredericks will go to prison for "some time yet, and I am sorry about that." Critchley even said he felt tempted to free Fredericks from custody but felt an obligation to "deter" other potential perpetrators of similar crimes.
For Pegg's death, Fredericks pleaded guilty to second-degree passion/provocation manslaughter. Five years in prison was the minimum allowable punishment in the case.
During the sentencing hearing Thursday, the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney all agreed that evidence indicates that Pegg, 68, did indeed sexually assault Fredericks when he was a Boy Scout leader four decades ago. Pegg was also a former law enforcement official.
"It is clear that the young Mr. Fredericks was exploited, abused and damaged by someone who wormed his way into a position of authority," the judge also said.
Critchley, though, stopped short of reducing the charge to a third-degree level and sentencing Fredericks to four years, as defense attorneys had asked.
A co-conspirator, Robert Reynolds, is expected to stand trial next year. He is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, leaving an injured victim, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, tampering with evidence and two counts of hindering the apprehension of Fredericks.
Thursday, Fredericks seemed to accept his punishment.
"I don't recommend that anyone follow in my steps," Fredericks said. "No matter how painful it may seem, I urge everyone to speak out about abuse."
Relatives of Pegg's condemned Fredericks' actions and said victims should seek justice through legal channels -- an assessment the prosecutor echoed.
"We have zero tolerance for child abuse," the prosecutor said. "It doesn't matter if the target is a police officer or a prosecutor, we will prosecute regardless of the position."
