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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday - July 29, 2003

GREENVILLE - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced that AARON LAMONT DAWKINS was sentenced in federal court in Greenville, N. C., on Monday, July 21, 2003, by United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard, for attempted murder.

DAWKINS, 25, of Fayetteville, N. C., received a sentence of 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On July 21, 2003, he pled guilty to the attempted murder of his wife on August 17, 2001, at Fort Bragg, N. C., a military reservation. A federal grand jury sitting in Greenville on September 18, 2001, had charged DAWKINS in a four-count indictment with attempted murder, kidnaping, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and assault with a deadly weapon. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the U. S. Attorney's Office, the remaining three counts of the indictment were dismissed at sentencing.

The evidence showed that DAWKINS bound, beat, and choked his estranged wife to unconsciousness. The assault took place in the housing area of Fort Bragg.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Conrad Noll and Assistant U. S. Attorney John S. Bowler handled the case for the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney's web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.