Walter In Denver

Bad Things Happen, And Sometimes They Get Worse.

I have a friend I used to work with who suffered a horrible tragedy. His teenage son murdered his wife.

It was unspeakably sad, literally. We didn't speak of it. My friend appreciated that I wouldn't bring up the subject, and we hung out together, skiing, playing cards, and competing in pro golf tournaments. (We were both teaching pros at the time.)

I wouldn't dream of bringing up this subject again in a public forum like this, except that someone else already has. Denver's popular local weekly paper, Westword, has a cover story this week featuring the plight of underage criminals who are sentenced to long terms.

Guess which case they used as an example.

It gets worse. The teen in this case, now in his twenties, was sentenced to life without parole. In an effort to get a new trial he is introducing new 'evidence', claiming that his parents sexually abused him, and other ugly accusations. His lawyer is even initiating a civil suit against my friend.

Of course, none of this came out before.

The Westword article, written by one Luke Turf, is something less than critical of these accusations.

Roger Ybanez, if you happen to come across this, you have my sympathy. You've now been victimized twice over.

And a hearty thank you to Westword and Luke Turf. Nothing's too sensational to use to advance an agenda, I suppose. Victims be damned.

Posted by Walter at July 9, 2005 01:19 PM