OAKLAND — A 28-year-old man found guilty of conspiring to commit an armed assault was sentenced to four years in prison at a hearing at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse on Wednesday.
The sentencing comes more than a year after the initial arrest of Joseph Carroll — who grew up in Berkeley — on suspicion of murder and a firearm violations, charges for which were eventually dropped. Because of half-time eligibility and prior time served, Carroll will only serve two years and be released this September.
Carroll was arrested in October 2013 in relation to the death of Alaysha Carradine, an 8-year-old girl who was murdered in Oakland while attending a sleepover that July. According to SF Gate, he was thought to have been in proximity of the apartment prior to the arrival of Darnell Williams, a co-defendant in the murder case.
Carroll was charged in October with seven separate counts of legal infractions — four relating to the murder of Carradine and three for his alleged possession of a firearm and intention to commit a crime. In a January 2014 preliminary hearing, all charges against Carroll in relation to the murder of Carradine were dropped.
Phone tapping approved during the investigation of Carradine’s death, however, incriminated Carroll for conspiring to assault a man who reportedly had insulted Carroll and his brother in a rap posted online. This charge remained, and it was for this crime that Carroll was sentenced this Wednesday.
As part of his sentencing, Carroll was ordered to pay more than $2,500 in fees and fines. Ernesto Castillo, the attorney who has overseen Carroll’s case since his 2013 arrest, was present at the hearing and said he was relieved by the outcome.
“I’m just happy to be getting him out soon,” he said. “It’s been a long, drawn-out process, but we’re happy it’s over.”