Mercer Man Gets 50 Years For Shooting That Left Victim Paraplegic

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A Mercer County man was sentenced to 50 years in state prison this week for a July 2022 attempted murder in Trenton, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton said.

Henry Hutchinson, 40, of Trenton was sentenced by Mercer County Superior Court judge Peter E. Warshaw on Wednesday to an aggregate sentence of 50 years subject to the No Early Release Act.

Hutchinson will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

On Sept. 25, a jury found Hutchinson guilty on all counts of the indictment, including first-degree attempted murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a handgun, and certain persons not to possess a firearm, following a two-week trial.

Additionally, the jury found him to be a persistent offender pursuant to New Jersey’s “Three Strikes Law.”

At approximately 11 p.m. on July 16, 2022, while in the 100 block of Chambers Street in Trenton, Hutchinson shot a man twice with a handgun. After the man fell to the ground, Hutchinson stood over him and shot him a third time, Hilton said.

The man was rendered paraplegic as a result of the shooting.

Trenton police arrested Hutchinson on July 18, 2022, and recovered the Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver used in the shooting.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutors Michael J. Mennuti and Jeffrey C. McElwee Jr. represented the state during the two-week trial.

“The jury delivered a clear and decisive verdict, and the judge’s sentence ensures accountability for the crime — a result that both the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the victim find just and appropriate,” McElwee said.

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