Angry father of murder victim storms out of courtroom

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | Wednesday, August 21, 2002 | M.L. LYKE

[ValerieUSA]

EVERETT -- An irate father stormed out of a crowded Snohomish County Superior Court room yesterday, declaring the sentencing of one of his son's killers a mockery.

"Good God! You've got to be joking!" exclaimed Pat Lorbiecki, erupting from his seat after Judge Richard Thorpe handed Emmanuel Wilson a sentence of 12 1/2 years for second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 20 years for 17-year-old Wilson, who admitted wielding the souvenir baseball bat used in the clubbing of 15-year-old Joshua Lorbiecki.

Many of Pat Lorbiecki's angry friends and relatives followed him out of the courtroom, which was filled to standing-room-only, with security officers screening people at the door and keeping guard inside.

Wilson was one of four youths sentenced yesterday for their part in the botched robbery plot that left the popular Everett High School sophomore to die on a middle-school playfield Nov. 17 of last year.

Authorities say that on the night of his death, Joshua Lorbiecki called one of the boys, Matthew Teague, to make a marijuana buy. Teague and three companions -- Emmanuel Wilson, his older brother Fernando and their cousin Steve Limar -- admitted to hatching a plot to "jack Joshua," luring him to the playfield to rob him of some $400.

They never got the money.

Although the boys rifled Lorbiecki's pockets, they found only $12.

Police later discovered $400 stashed away in a separate pocket.

Court records indicate that two of the boys attempted to help Lorbiecki off the field after the beating, but took off when they heard sirens, leaving him to die. They all fled town soon after.

The four defendants, ages 16 to 20, all pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case. None had prior convictions. The state had recommended different sentences for each defendant, based on the degree of culpability. But all four were sentenced to 10 1/2 years -- the low end of the sentencing range -- with Wilson receiving an additional two years for the deadly weapon charge.

"Imposing a sentence in a case like this is an awesome task," Thorpe said yesterday.

"Nobody can bring Joshua back. And nobody but God can help the family."

Defense lawyers yesterday portrayed the four youths as teenagers who had made a mistake, with no intent to injure anyone. Though they abandoned Lorbiecki at the field, they had no idea how badly he was hurt, the lawyers said.

Friends and relatives of the defendants painted a picture of good kids, trying to make it in a world of drugs and violence. "No family is untouched with the madness that runs wild in our society," said Emmanuel and Fernando's father, Robert Wilson.

All four youths apologized to the Lorbiecki family yesterday for the loss of Joshua, who, though he had some run-ins with the law, was a well-liked youth who loved sports, hip-hop music, computer games and the outdoors.

The 15-year-old, who had been a bat boy for the Mariners, was planning on trying out for the football team.

"What we did that day was wrong," said Matthew Teague. "We never thought it would be this serious."

Emmanuel Wilson apologized to the Lorbiecki family -- and to his own girlfriend, who brought their new baby daughter to court.

"I'm sorry I won't be there to raise my daughter," he said.

Joshua Lorbiecki's aunt, Tina Smith, surprised the defendants and most everyone in the courtroom with a speech praising her "awesome nephew" and drawing on biblical citations.

Her God, she said is a God of forgiveness.

Then she turned to face the defendants, her face screwed up in pain, tears running down it, and told them:

"I, for one, forgive you."

[ValerieUSA]

Tina Smith is an idiot.

[I still care]

Hmmm.... they beat him to death with a bat but had no idea how serious that could be... they just "made a mistake" with "no intent to injure anyone". I wonder what the judge would feel if someone beat her child to death with a bat and told her it was a mistake...

[Texbob]

Seattle deserve this kind of justice. I hope they keep all those liberal ass judges up there, no body else wants them except Mass.

[ValerieUSA]

This was a brutal premeditated crime by doper thugs who had no respect for the law, private property or life.
I fail to see the significance of the murder weapon's "souvenir" status.

[07055]

Imposing a sentence in a case like this is an awesome task," Thorpe said yesterday.

Obviously too awesome a task for this sob sister excuse for a judge.

Maybe this guy should quit the bench and become a social worker.

[aha?]

As loong as fathers let the courts get away with type of mockery, then you can sexpect judges to continue on the path of liberalizm instead of justice.

[07055]

Friends and relatives of the defendants painted a picture of good kids, trying to make it in a world of drugs and violence.

Drugs? Yes, these punks were the ones selling the drugs.

Violence? Yes, they were the ones who killed the kid.

"But, judge, you can't put me in jail for killing my parents. I'm an orphan."

[What Is Ain't]

Her God, she said is a God of forgiveness.

Then she turned to face the defendants, her face screwed up in pain, tears running down it, and told them:

"I, for one, forgive you."

And then she pulled out her Uzi and distributed true justice on the perps.

[Mercat]

If I have this right, the victim was meeting these guys to buy $400 worth of illegal drugs from them. I don't know how much that would be worth but I assume that it would be enough to go out and sell it to other kids, probably young kids. That's not a capital offense and he shouldn't have died for it but there has to be some message here that if you hang out with people who sell drugs and then do it yourself, you're an outlaw and once outside the law, bad things can happen. Back when Oklahoma was "dry" and Missouri was "wet" my father who drove a bus between the two states was approached by the mob to simply look the other way while they loaded booze on his bus to take to Tulsa. They would pay him $200 per trip which was about what his monthly pay was then. He wasn't any teetotler but he knew he wanted nothing to do with those people. That story made a huge impression on me. Seems to apply here.

[Far Right Of Left]

Only in a perfect world....

[S.O.S121.500]

You assume too much, too often, and too mistakenly.

That is about half of what ails this country.

[McLynnan]

Defense lawyers yesterday portrayed the four youths as teenagers who had made a mistake, with no intent to injure anyone. Though they abandoned Lorbiecki at the field, they had no idea how badly he was hurt, the lawyers said.

Major eyeroll here. Are we supposed to believe these delinquents didn't realize clubbing somebody with a baseball would injure them?

[MEGoody]

"Her God, she said is a God of forgiveness. Then she turned to face the defendants, her face screwed up in pain, tears running down it, and told them: "I, for one, forgive you."

Well, of course she forgives them. She is their aunt and was NOT the one who lost a son to a horrible death. This idiot needs a clue.

[07055]

The kid was obviously not a saint but he didn't deserve to die.

The message this sends is if you are involved with drugs, you can kill someone else involved in the same business and get only a slap on the wrist.

[moteineye]

Right,she is not the one to pronounce forgiveness.I believe that would be Joshua.

[LenS]

To be honest, I find it hard to feel much pity for the victim. He was buying illegal drugs, possibly for resale to other kids.

That being said, his killers should have been sentenced to death.

[Screaming_Gerbil]

What is Mercat assuming "too much, too often, and too mistakenly"?

I'd have to agree with Mercat, that although the victim did not derserve to get killed, maybe he made a wrong choice in getting involved with people who were selling drugs. Also, $ 400 does seem to be a bit much to smoke all by yourself...

I learned some time ago that if you hang with the wrong types of people, they may turn on you. Sometimes suddenly and violently.

And not only is the victim dead, the ones who killed him don't even get a decent sentence (I'm sure they'll be out a lot sooner than 12 1/2 years).

Of course if the father were to buy a gun and shoot his kid's killers in an act of extracting his version of justice, I'm sure that the judge would make sure that he never saw the light of day again (life in prison with no chance of early release or porole, or the death penalty).

I'm glad Mercat's father was able to say no and didn't get any reprisals for it. That was when the mob had honor - if you were on their payroll, sure the money was good, but now they owned you, and could do with you whatever they wanted. However, Iif you weren't part of their system, they left you alone . (I'm not an expert on the "mob", but that seems to be the "way it was" acording to all those old-time mafia stories I've read).

Now a days with all these younger and more violent gangs, sometimes all people get is the choice between "Gold or Lead" (agree to take the bribe or get shot by a hit man later).

Best to stay away from trouble if you can.

[Schnucki]

Tina Smith is an idiot.

I think Tina Smith exhibited true courage and I'm inspired.

Tina clearly lives what she believes and it costs her more dearly than any of the names thrown at her by the exasperated.

Bless that woman's hurting heart.

[Gunner9mm]

People in Washington get the judges they deserve. They either elect them directly, or elect those who appoint them. You vote for liberals, amazingly enough, you get liberal results.

[Raymond Hendrix]

No, Tina Smith is a real Christian from what I have read here.