LEBANON, Va. -- A Virginia emergency medical technician is going to prison for a fatal defibrillator prank.

Joshua Martin, 25, had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in January, after jolting a co-worker with cardiac paddles. Courtney Rhoton, 23, died three days after getting the jolt.

Martin cried and apologized to Rhoton's family before being sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison. Four years of that were suspended.

Prosecutors said Martin was goofing around last June when he put the defibrillator paddles to Rhoton's side and gave her a fatal jolt of electricity.


Martin pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in January.

Martin has been in jail since January. He must serve a remaining 10 months behind bars, followed by five years on probation.

Rhoton was a mother of two.

Rhoton's half-sister, Chanda Lawson, thought Martin should get a life term for her sister's death.

"That's what my sister got," she told the world. "I hope when he lays down at night he remembers those two kids don't have a mommy anymore because of the foolish thing he done."

Martin had no criminal record and had several testify that he was a good, caring man who would do anything for anyone, according to the Daily Press.

What a douche.  As an EMT, he should have known better.

Shocking.

Quoted: Shocking.

Electrifying

You can hardly call that a prank.  EMTs are trained about the consequences that will happen if you misuse that.  

totally dupefiing!  

Quoted: totally dupefiing!

Shame on me.  

Quoted: Quoted: totally dupefiing!   Shame on me.

Nah, its been a while.  

Its not the voltage...its the current...and even a fairly small current can kill you.

Sad story.  

Quoted: Quoted: totally dupefiing!   Shame on me.

yeah.....but you didn't know.



that guy was a uber dumbass

You dont even need have contact for the paddles to hurt you.

We had one dude take the paddles and aim them at another person a few inches away. They arched and totally knocked the other person for a loop.  Also burned the hell out of them.  Residents were fucking around, needless to say, that one is no longer a resident.

Very stupid, I thought AED type systems won't work when a person has a normal heart rhythm?

www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137833607005

Quoted: Very stupid, I thought AED type systems won't work when a person has a normal heart rhythm? www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137833607005

An AED is for retards.  It is automatic and does all the shocking itself.

A defribilator is something totally different.