Defense Attorney says victim was a prostitute so murderer shouldn't get long sentence

Queens defense attorney John Scarpa tried to devalue the life of murder victim -  transgendered Amanda Gonzalez-Andujar - saying his client Rasheen Everett shouldn't get a harsh sentence because Amanda's life was "less than" in some way:

"A sentence of 25 years to life is an incredibly long period of time, judge. Shouldn’t that be reserved for people who are guilty of killing certain classes of individuals? Who is the victim in this case? Is the victim a person in the higher end of the community? Amanda was engaged in a life of prostitution, life of drug use, HIV exposure. She was having sex with other individuals knowing she had the chance of spreading diseases."

The judge slammed Scarpa's comments then sentenced Everett to 29 years in prison.