Friday, January 26, 2007
More from the victims' families
"Sixteen months for three lives is not justice," said Michael Giunta, brother John Giunta, one of the victims of the fire set by Joseph LePore and Sean Ryan in Seton Hall University's Boland Hall on January 19, 2000. Ryan and LePore were sentences to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to arson. They will be eligible for parole after just 16 months.
Frank Caltabilota, Jr.'s dad, shaking with anger as he spoke about his son who also died in the frie: "The two of you will have to live with what your stupid prank did for the rest of your lives." "Eventually your judgement day will come," he said, adding both defendants should rot in hell.
As for the injured, some badly, Alvaro Llanos was in the courtroom and a letter he wrote was read out loud:
Alvaro, we hope you get your questioned answered someday.
Ad we agree that 16 months isn't enough. LePore and Ryan deserved a longer sentence for the crimes they committed, the lives they took and the people they injured.
Frank Caltabilota, Jr.'s dad, shaking with anger as he spoke about his son who also died in the frie: "The two of you will have to live with what your stupid prank did for the rest of your lives." "Eventually your judgement day will come," he said, adding both defendants should rot in hell.
As for the injured, some badly, Alvaro Llanos was in the courtroom and a letter he wrote was read out loud:
He talked of waking up three months after the fire. The burns over 50 percent of his body. Of seeing his severaly scarred face for the first time. Of the more than 30 surgeries he has endured.
And finally, he told of the one question he's always wanted answered.
"Why? What was the reason for this fire?"
Alvaro, we hope you get your questioned answered someday.
Ad we agree that 16 months isn't enough. LePore and Ryan deserved a longer sentence for the crimes they committed, the lives they took and the people they injured.
Labels: Frank Caltabilota Jr., John Giunta, Joseph LePore, Sean Ryan, Seton Hall University
Aaron Karol's parents speak
Aaron Karol's parents spoke today at the sentencing of Joseph LePore and Sean Ryan, the two men who started the fire in Seton Hall University's Boland Hall on January 19, 2001 that killed 3 (including Aaron) and injured 58 others.
From the Star-Ledger, Aaron's mother:
From the Star-Ledger, Aaron's mother:
“I can’t begin to tell you the devastation his death brought us. I have never been able to relive that day or talk about it. It’s too painful. We no longer have a son."Also from the Star-Ledger, Aaron's dad:
“I will never again see his smiling face come through the door. I will never again see him sleeping in his bed. I will never again hear him listen to his music. I will never again hold him. I will never again kiss him and tell him good night. I will never again buy him Christmas presents. I will never again hear him and his sister tell us the secrets of things they did growing up together. I will never again hear Aaron and Melissa laughing under some shared joke. I will never again see him holding hands with Melissa and kissing. There are so many never agains.”
"Aaron was fun-loving but also a serious student. He didn't get all As but he made the honor roll most of the time . . . AK was not one-dimensional. He loved music . . . He enjoyed snow-boardng ... He was taking up tennis and he also loved video games."
"My son had a wisdom about him that transcended his age . . . I admired how he had the ablity to look at the big picture and yet he could write about something as small as a bead of sweat. . . ."
"For someone who was only 18 years and three months when he was killed, AK left a remarkable legacy."
He discussed the circumstances of the starting of the fire after the Joseph LePore and Sean Ryan were chased from the lounge by dorm counselor: "By their own admission, they both returned to the lounge and ignited the paper. This was an indication to me that this was a premeditated act."
"These two never regretted what they did . . . they were only worried about their own hides . . . Those are not the actions of pranksters. They are the actions of criminals.''
He said his son had to be identied from dental records, he was burned so badly. "We never had the chance to see him one last time. We had to have a closed casket.'' He said many of his son's friends had to go through therapy after his death.
He said he wanted to see the defenahts serve the full five years. "I promise them both I will muster up an army of victims to appear before the parole board every time they are eligible.''
He said justice will be served when the defenants face the "ultimate judge" after death. "They won't be able to have fancy lawyers represent them."
"They have displayed a total callousness and complete disregard for their victims ... The perpetrators of this hoocaust deserve no mercy whatsoever.''
"No sentence will ever bring us closure. The holes in our hearts will never heal. We will never have Aaron back."
Labels: Aaron Karol, Joseph LePore, Sean Ryan, Seton Hall University
Lame apologies; No forgiveness; Off to jail they go
Joseph LePore and Sean Ryan walked into a Newark, New Jersey courtroom shortly after 10 a.m. today wearing jeans and casual clothes. They were there for their sentencing, having pleaded guilty to arson (and some smaller charges) for their roles in setting the January 2000 fire at Seton Hall University that killed 3 freshmen and injured more than 50 others. Why jeans and casual clothing? Well, after each were sentenced to 5 years in state prison -- eligible for parole after just 16-months -- the two men left the courtroom in handcuffs and were to be processed and turned over to the Department of Corrections.
We still wish that these two men had taken responsibility for what they did. They still blame the University for the deaths of their victims. But even if Seton Hall should have had sprinklers to combat fires, the facts remains that LePore and Ryan started the fire. End of story.
We wish they had offered something more than a lame apology to the victims and their families. Instead Sean Ryan merely repeated himself: "I am very, very, very sorry for your losses. I'm very, very sorry." And LePore didn't offer much more: "I wish I could do something to take away your pain. I'm sorry." To be forgiven, you need to admit what you did. They still have admitted nothing more than pulling a "prank that got out of hand."
Speaking of forgiveness, there wasn't much of that to go around.
Frank Caltabilota Jr.'s father told LePore and Ryan: "I can't forgive you both for what you have done." He called the pair cowards, and told how they set a banner on fire and ran from the dormitory - not bothering to warn others of the danger. Frank's mom also said that she would never forgive the two.
More to come.
We still wish that these two men had taken responsibility for what they did. They still blame the University for the deaths of their victims. But even if Seton Hall should have had sprinklers to combat fires, the facts remains that LePore and Ryan started the fire. End of story.
We wish they had offered something more than a lame apology to the victims and their families. Instead Sean Ryan merely repeated himself: "I am very, very, very sorry for your losses. I'm very, very sorry." And LePore didn't offer much more: "I wish I could do something to take away your pain. I'm sorry." To be forgiven, you need to admit what you did. They still have admitted nothing more than pulling a "prank that got out of hand."
Speaking of forgiveness, there wasn't much of that to go around.
Frank Caltabilota Jr.'s father told LePore and Ryan: "I can't forgive you both for what you have done." He called the pair cowards, and told how they set a banner on fire and ran from the dormitory - not bothering to warn others of the danger. Frank's mom also said that she would never forgive the two.
More to come.
Labels: Frank Caltabilota Jr., Joseph LePore, Sean Ryan, Seton Hall University
