Former Syracuse football player Markus Pierce-Brewster backed out of a plea bargain Monday morning as he prepared to plead guilty to charges related to a South Campus burglary last winter.

After some confusion, acting Onondaga County Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti determined that Pierce-Brewster’s involvement could fit multiple charges, but not necessarily the third-degree burglary charges brought against him. He will appear in Onondaga County criminal court again on Friday.

Pierce-Brewster and Davon Walls, both ex-SU defensive linemen, were arrested and charged with burglary and petit larceny last winter after police accused them of stealing a flat-screen television, an Xbox gaming system, games and two iPods worth $950 in total from an apartment on the 400 block of Winding Ridge Road.

SU Department of Public Safety footage of the area showed Pierce-Brewster and Walls in possession of the items. Head coach Scott Shafer kicked both players off the football team last spring.

Pierce-Brewster stood somber and reserved in a navy blue jacket and striped orange and blue tie Monday as he admitted that he drove Walls to the Winding Ridge apartment. He acknowledged that he stood outside the apartment as Walls entered and took the electronics before driving back to their residence.

Walls, Pierce-Brewster’s co-defendant, pled guilty to burglary on Dec. 10, and will be sentenced to a yearlong “interim probation.” Depending on Walls’ behavior during probation, the felony will be reduced to a misdemeanor, followed by sentencing to a one-year conditional discharge.

Had Pierce-Brewster pled guilty to third-degree burglary, he would have received the same sentence. However, he never completed the guilty plea, hesitating after Brunetti asked if he “knowingly helped” Walls steal the electronics. Pierce-Brewster leaned toward his attorney, Eric Sherwood, and the two spoke briefly out of earshot from the courtroom.

Brunetti said if Pierce-Brewster went to the apartment without knowingly aiding the theft, a burglary charge might not apply to his actions. Instead, Pierce-Brewster could potentially be charged with hindering prosecution, rendering assistance to someone that commits a felony, Brunetti said.

Hindering prosecution is a misdemeanor charge as opposed to burglary, which is a felony, according to New York State court documents.

Published on January 14, 2014 at 1:34 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu