The lawyer for a discharged Marine from Roxbury who was accused of shooting his then-wife through a bathroom door says it's been "an honor" to resolve the charges with a plea deal.

"I've been doing this for 32 years. ... This guy needed someone to stand up for him," said attorney Edward J. Bilinkas, representing Gregg E. Johnson, 31. "I consider this guy to be a hero."

Johnson had been accused of firing in February 2011 through the door at his wife, leaving bullet fragments in her foot. But Bilinkas said that never happened — and instead, Johnson fired through a door into an empty bathroom during a flashback to his service in Iraq.

"That's been our position from day one," Bilinkas said.

Johnson was arrested several days after the alleged shooting, after his wife sought medical treatment for a wound to her foot. Bilinkas said no tests were done to determine fragments in her foot were indeed bullet fragments.

When he was arrested, he was found with a .40-caliber Sig Sauer handgun. Monday, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of that gun, and in exchange, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office is dropping another 12 charges related to the alleged shooting, Bilinkas said.

"We're extremely satisfied," Bilinkas said. "To me, any time someone is involved with the law, it's not an ideal situation. But under the circumstances, considering the original charges, we're very pleased."

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Johnson served two tours in Iraq and was honorably discharged, Bilinkas said. But his service left him suffering from extreme post-traumatic stress disorder, the attorney said. As a condition of his plea agreement, he must continue undergoing mental health treatment and take any prescribed medications.

"I don't think that's a huge imposition or problem. He's been doing that on his own. He's doing what he needs to do to move on and to address his circumstance," Bilinkas said.

The attorney said Johnson has made "monumental strides, considering the horrible things he went through," but declined to elaborate for now on what those things were.

"At the sentencing, I'm going to lay all of that stuff out. It would affect any human being on the face of this Earth," he said.

Johnson's sentencing is expected to occur May 17. According to a

, County Assistant Prosecutor Tia Manochio has recommended Johnson be sentenced to probation, with no time in prison.