The verdict came in on Friday: the drunk driver who hit Kevin was denied parole. He will be eligible again in three years.
The hearing lasted about two and a half hours, and it was very emotional. It began with a review of the suspect’s criminal history, which goes back to the 1960s and includes a long pattern of reckless driving and DUIs. From there, they went over the police report and the details of the crash that led to his imprisonment.
Some parts of the timeline were confusing. From what I understand, he was first on the 405 freeway, where he was involved in an accident. After that, he turned around and began driving in the wrong direction. At some point, he ended up on the 210 and then took an on-ramp (which is really the 210 on-ramp from the 5 freeway since he was going the wrong direction) to the 5 freeway, where the head-on collision happened. I’m still unclear on exactly how he traveled between those freeways, since they aren’t close to each other.
Witnesses described the crash as sounding like a bomb going off.
The suspect said he didn’t know about the victims until three days later, when he was in the hospital’s burn ward. During questioning, he described himself as self-centered and impulsive. He also said that while there is alcohol in prison, though it’s contraband, he has suppressed the urge to drink. That stood out to me as concerning and was concerning to everyone else. He also said that he didn’t believe he had a drinking problem until the accident happened.
When asked what he thought the victims’ families felt upon learning about the crash, he wasn’t able to answer.
This was the first time I had ever seen him. I didn’t attend his sentencing in 2006 because my dad was in the hospital at the time.
Although he has worked while in prison, he has only attended about 12 hours of AA meetings over the past 22 years. In the end, the judge told him he needs significantly more time in counseling and in AA, and that he needs to work on developing empathy. The judge also noted that the suspect mentioned wanting to get his driver’s license, which isn’t possible given his conviction.
Before the verdict, the victims’ families were given a chance to speak. The attorney read my statement, which I was grateful for; I don’t think I would have been able to get through it myself in that moment. Afterward, the attorneys presented their arguments, and then the judge called for a recess while the panel deliberated on whether to grant parole.
I’m relieved that parole was denied. I understand that he is getting older, but it was clear that he showed very little remorse for what he did. It felt like his focus was more on getting out of prison than on acknowledging the harm he caused or showing any real empathy for what had happened.
I’m having a hard time mentally this morning. I need to start studying and push all this aside. It’s hard, I keep thinking about it. I’m going to make myself some coffee and start studying. Then I will talk about last weekend. It was a long weekend. Four days!
I asked Tommy about the freeways. He said that the accident was on I-5 between I-210 and I-405. There was a second accident on I-405. That clears up some confusion about the freeways. I guess I could have also went and gotten the police report out and read it, but I don’t think my brain can handle that today.
Last weekend was a full one.
On Thursday, Tommy and I went to a Sony camera event where they were showcasing a new model, I think it was the Alpha 7V. Tommy got to try out different lenses on his camera, and we joined a photo walk using the new Sony gear. They even had a model for us to photograph, which made it really fun. After the event, we grabbed lunch. I had enchiladas, and Tommy got a combination plate. Later, we went to the zoo, where Tommy took more photos of the animals. We walked a lot that day, and I ended up with almost 10,000 steps. Afterward, I went home with Kel, and Tommy headed to band practice.
On Friday, I woke up around 7:30, and Tommy and I had our usual morning coffee before his therapy appointment. While he was there, I filled the pill boxes and got ready for the day. Around noon, I attended the parole hearing. It started late and ended up taking a good portion of the day. After that, we spent the rest of the day relaxing on our computers and had pizza for dinner.
Saturday, Tommy, Chris, and I went bowling. We made a quick stop at Walgreens first so Chris could get his passport photo taken, then headed into the city for lunch. We had Mexican food. Tommy and I split a California burrito. After that, we went bowling and had a great time. I played three games, and then Tommy and Chris played a fourth. Afterward, Tommy bought a new bowling ball, and it’s really nice. When we got home, he took a nap before we went back out to grab a few things for dinner. That night, we had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sunday was Easter, and it was a really nice, quiet day. We stayed home, spent some time on our computers, and made a roast with mashed potatoes and acorn squash for dinner. Tommy didn’t have hockey because of the holiday. Overall, it was a really nice weekend.
I’m making enchiladas now, starting early, so all I have to do later is pop them in the oven before everyone gets home from work and school. We’re making enchiladas because we need to use up all the cheese that we had shreadded from the last time we made enchiladas. Everest has been inside all day. She escaped yesterday while she was over, so I’ve been keeping a closer eye on her. I let her out just long enough to go to the bathroom, then bring her right back in.
The enchiladas are ready to go, so that part’s done. Now I just need to put away the laundry. I had already done a load on Saturday and put it away on Sunday, but I wanted to wash the weekend clothes too, so I ended up doing another load today.
