I prosecuted a case where a guy stabbed a model home salesperson to death; she was very pretty, he was infatuated with her, she turned him down...and he went into her office, hit her in the head with a rock and stabbed her 55 times.
At her trial, her father, who was a retired phone company executive, wandered the halls; a clearly broken man. He died less than a year after the trial. So did the defendant’s mother. They were his uncharged second and third victims.
What people who go through these horrible tragedies must endure is unimaginable.
How much time did he get?
When my kids were small and we went out somewhere, I was always armed. They were grown adults when they found out I carried a gun. Now two of my boys carry.
My father was a D.A. and I only ever knew a little bit about his work. I never even went to watch him in court (I didn’t think of it until after he’d passed away.), though I did contribute to his closing arguments one time when he needed a good sounding board.
All of that to say that I know you carried heavy burdens because of the job you did. We think mainly of the victims and their families when crimes occur and cases go to trial (as we should), but we often forget the police, rescue workers, detectives, prosecutors, judges and juries who must also deal with the crimes in various capacities. The prosecutors and the police/investigators, especially, have to witness the very worst of humanity, while shielding, in some ways, the victims’ families, and even the jurors, from the worst of the details. How any of you could avoid becoming completely cynical about this nation is beyond me.
Thank you for the job you did in prosecuting criminals, even—and especially—when the circumstances weighed heavily on you. The victims and their families are not the only ones who have to endure the “unimaginable” that you mentioned.
So sad. I agree that sadly, the parents are not long for this world, unless they have other children or family close by who can sustain them.
He will, but should not, blame himself.
Perhaps FR can do something for them. Obviously, a daughter is irreplaceable, but perhaps we can reach out to them; perhaps create a GoFundMe account?
I will look into it. This is a terribly sad story.
Ohio?
#10. Did he get the death penalty?
The American "justice" system exists to torment the families of the victims.