Ex-Fairfax Police Officer pleads guilty to manslaughter in shooting death of John Geer.

Adam Torres, the former Fairfax police officer who was charged with murder in the August 2013 shooting death of John Geer, plead guilty today to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors and the defense had agreed to a 12-month sentence for Torres, who has been in jail without bond, but Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Robert Smith declined to accept that deal. Instead he asked for a standard pre-sentencing report and scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 24. By then, Torres will have served 10 months. If Smith decides to reject the 12-month sentence, Torres can withdraw his plea and the case would be set for trial with another judge.

Geer’s family expressed “mixed emotions” regarding the plea. Geer’s daughters released a statement through their attorney, Michael Lieberman. “It would be easier to give in to our personal feelings and cry out for Torres to be further punished…there can be no doubt that we are entitled to use this trial as an outlet for our pain, to express our fury that our father was taken from us. However, we are called and reminded by that pain to avoid inflicting the same upon other children just to satisfy our emotions. It is rare that the easy choice is the right choice, and while we’ve lost our father, we must strive for both justice and mercy. Where Torres failed to show prudence and mercy, we will show him and his family both.”

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