Sentencing in Md. neighborhood watch beating case

BALTIMORE (AP) — Prosecutors in Baltimore are recommending a suspended sentence for a former member of an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch group convicted in the beating of a black teenager.

The case has drawn comparisons to the fatal shooting of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

Twenty-four-year-old Eliyahu Werdesheim faces sentencing Wednesday on second-degree assault and false imprisonment charges. He was acquitted of a deadly weapon charge. His brother, 22-year-old Avi Werdesheim, was acquitted of all three counts.

The older Werdesheim faces up to 10 years on the assault count, but prosecutors are recommending a three-year suspended sentence, three years of probation, anger management and community service.

The teen told police that Eliyahu Werdesheim shouted “You don’t belong here” and later struck him in the head. Eliyahu Werdesheim testified he acted in self-defense.