Judge Joseph Toia sentenced Macomb County bodybuilder Paul Bashi to 14 years in prison after the latter pleaded guilty for attempted murder and torture charges. Back in 2018, a home surveillance camera captured Paul Bashi assaulting a woman, who is now his wife, in a horrific manner.
Paul Bashi is a national-level NPC middleweight bodybuilder living in Detroit. During the trial, the 37-year-old bodybuilder attempted to blame steroids for the brutal assault. While announcing the sentence, Judge Joseph Toia stated:
“I don’t doubt for a minute that you’re not the same person that was in that house and on that porch on that particular day some three years ago. Despite all your issues, you are not the victim in this case. You’re not. Despite everything, we heard here today. It is the people, the state of Michigan that brought this case. You are not. I know you’ve been the focus, but you’re not the victim in this case.”
Bashi was claimed to not feel well on the day of sentencing and passed out. Two hours later, he was brought to the courtroom in a wheelchair. This resulted in the hearing getting dragged for most of the day instead of the scheduled time of 8:30 AM. Stating that the prosecutor on the case claimed that Bashi was being portrayed as a victim, Paul Bashi’s attorney demanded a new prosecutor and also a new judge. He claimed that Judge Joseph Toia was being biased against his client.
Responding to this, the prosecutor went over the horrific and gut-wrenching details of the crime.
“Heartless judge, sadistic – 107 punches, 85 kicks, 28 stabs, four knives used for those 28 stabs I might add. Dozens, dozens of bludgeons,” the prosecutor said.
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Paul Bashi’s wife testified for him
Paul Bashi’s wife Kristina Perry, who was the victim of the brutal attack in 2018, stood up to testify for her husband and said that although the trial is about the assault and it has presented a bad side of her husband’s personality, he is now a changed man:
“Judge Toia, the court has only seen the bad side of Paul. Since he’s been released, every day he shows me he is a changed man. He realizes his mistake and has changed for the better. He goes to counseling, anger management classes, and domestic violence all on his own.”
Bashi addressed his wife when he got to speak in the court and thanked her for supporting him through the trial.
“I am so grateful for you in my life. I am so grateful for my family. I love you so much honey, thank you so much. I wish that one day, I can come out and enjoy our lives and have a family together.”
An article by Fox 2 also confirmed that Paul Bashi will face an additional 93-day prison sentence for assaulting his uncle who had released the bond he posted for Bashi. The uncle had learned that his nephew was planning to leave the town and possibly escape to Mexico ahead of his trial. When his uncle confronted him, Bashi assaulted him.
Paul Bashi is a bodybuilder listed on NPC’s (National Physique Committee) website!