I no longer have any faith in the criminal justice system.
After all was said and done, after all the sleepless nights, uneaten meals, fully consumed bottles of alcohol... It was all for not. Turns out the DA cut a deal with Rogelio.
He decided to plead guilty after all. In the State of Utah, a 3rd degree felony (which is what vehicular homicide is considered) is punishable by a term of 0 to 5 years. The Board of Pardons is the agency that decides how long a convict will serve. The typical sentencing guideline for a first offender on a 3rd degree felony is usually 12 to 18 months. Factor in the year in jail he has already spent, good time while at the prison...And you get six months.
Six months.
Am I the only one who feels that a human life is worth a hell of a lot more than that ?
I cant help but feel that I let Claude (the victim) down. I know that I did everything that I could possibly do. I showed up at every hearing. I kept in contact with the DA, I felt that I was finally doing the right thing. Apparantly it wasn't enough. This guy is getting off way too lightly, and was coddled by the system. I feel as if they took Claude's rights as an American citizen, and gave them to the illegal alien. I feel that they have cheapened this poor man's life and legacy by letting this douchebag go. I am so filled with anger, confusion, and frustration at the moment that I can hardly type...
It's not like I wanted Rogelio (suspect) to spend the rest of his life in the slammer. I figured 7-10 years was enough. I understand that he didn't intentionally kill Claude. But he tried to run away afterwards instead of owning up to what he had done. He was just some poor schmuck that made a horrible mistake and didn't feel that he had to pay for what he had done.
Six months is just not enough. Claude deserved better.
I think at some point I'm going to write his family a letter and let them know how sorry I am that things turned out the way they did. I feel so bad for them. He was a good man. He had the right to live out his life any way he saw fit. He never had that luxury. Instead...It ended on a sidewalk in Salt Lake City on October 17th 2005.
I'm sorry Claude, I did my best, and it just wasn't good enough. I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing that a horrible injustice has been done to you and your family.
And life goes on...
Thanks for reading,
thatoneguyinslc