Friday, March 5, 2010

Injustice



On December 26th, 2008, 42 minutes after Christmas, my best friends were killed by a drunk driver.

On March 4th, 2010, their killer was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

4 years each count.

4 years for each life taken.

How is that justice? What kind of message are we sending to people? That it's ok to drink and drive and kill someone because you will only get a slap on the wrist? As I was sitting in the courtroom, I saw a drug offender get 4 years in prison, I saw a man who broke and entered two houses get sentenced to 7 years in prison. Because my friends chose to do the right thing by her picking him up because he had been drinking, they paid the ultimate price. They are dead and their killer will be out of prison before she is 30. Their killer will have the opportunity to have children of her own, to live her life with less than an 8 year hiccup.

I am absolutely furious. I cannot even begin to reconcile what happened. I do not understand how a jury can lessen someone's life so much and still be able to sleep at night.

86 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. 3 times the legal limit. Both of my friends were internally decapitated and had their hearts torn so badly there was no way either would have survived. She got a bump on her head and broke her leg.

She had 5 football fields in length to stop when her light turned red. Even at the speed she was going, she would have only needed 1 to stop her car. Not only that, if she would have turned her wheel slightly to the right, my friends would still be alive today.

4 comments:

  1. Wow this is so horrible. Virtual hug! I'm sorry for your loss and sorry that you, your family, and your friends' families have to live with this pain every day. I have had 10, yes 10, of my friends die in car accidents. None were driving drunk and none were hit by drunk drivers but their absence is still an open wound on my heart that won't ever seem to close. Not a day goes by that I don't reflect on how amazing my friends were, how much I miss them, and how my only option now is to be a positive role model and live my life to the fullest as they would have wanted. I know you're angry and believe me, I get it, but don't let it shadow your future. <3s

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  2. I am so sorry. I know this is incredibly diffcult for you. I wish I had some words of wisdom. But honesttly i do not. I do however believe in karma, as corny as that sounds, I beleive that justice is always awarded, sometimes it is just slow or is not in the most common way we would expect. Your best friends are being honored by your love and compassion for their life! Keep them close to you heart and justice will ultimately be served!

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  3. This so sucks. Some states have much tougher laws than others. It seems to me if someone drinks and drives then it is MURDER plain and simple.

    Grief is hard. You have my empathy and some hugs!!!

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  4. I am so sorry. 4 years for each life taken is not enough...

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