Originally Posted by The Oklahoman

Jersey number inspires criminal to seek more time

By Ty McMahan
The Oklahoman

A man’s wish that the number of years he spends in prison match the 33 on a former NBA star’s jersey was granted this week by an Oklahoma County judge.

“He said if he was going to go down, he was going to go down in Larry Bird’s jersey,” District Judge Ray Elliott said Wednesday. “We accommodated his request and he was just as happy as he could be.”

Eric James Torpy asked to do three more years on a 30-year sentence for two counts of shooting with intent to kill and robbery. The total now reflects famed Boston Celtic Larry Bird’s uniform number.

Torpy, 27, appeared Tuesday for formal sentencing in front of Elliott.

The Oklahoma City man was offered a plea bargain on the charges, which he refused at first, Elliott said. Torpy would only agree to the state’s deal if he could pay homage to his favorite basketball player with the punishment.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in 26 years in the courthouse,” Elliott said. “But, I know the DA is happy about it.”