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BeyondGeography

(39,276 posts)
Sat May 18, 2013, 02:53 PM May 2013

DUI victim's parents ask and receive mercy from judge for son's surviving friend




Max Kelly

Max Kelly’s parents wept openly in Columbia County Court on Friday and asked a judge to show mercy while preparing to sentence Thomas Griffin, 19, who pleaded guilty earlier in the day to one count of second-degree vehicular homicide, class D felony, in connection with the death of the Kelly’s son and Griffin’s friend, Max Kelly, on New Year’s Eve 2012.

Instead of incarceration, Greene County Judge George Pulver sentenced Griffin, of Germantown, to five years probation, 1,000 hours of community service and the revocation of his driver’s license...

Twenty-one-year-old Kelly was a passenger in Griffin’s 2003 Toyota vehicle New Year’s Eve 2012 when Griffin drove the vehicle into a utility pole in Germantown, resulting in Kelly’s death from injuries he sustained in the accident.

New York State Police determined drunken driving played a role in the crash.

“These boys did something very foolish that night,” Kelly’s mother Jody Wische said. “They made a decision thinking they were invincible.”

She and husband John Kelly forgave Griffin for his actions, as they did their own son as Griffin’s passenger, Wische said.

“We know there was no malice, no intent to harm,” Wische said. “This was just boys being boys.”

Keeping her compusure, Wische begged the judge to give Griffin a chance to be “an upstanding citizen.”

Griffin became overwhelmed as Kelly described their complicated relationship. Initially, Kelly had warned his son to stay away from Griffin.

“He said, ‘Dad, he’s my best buddy, and he’s a good kid,’” Kelly tearfully said.

He then referred to Griffin as his own, and asked the judge to not take away his son. Kelly longed for the day he could bounce Griffin’s children on his knee, as he would have Max’s, he said.

“I’ve been an attorney for 30 years, and I don’t think I’ve heard anything more compelling,” Thomas O’Hern, Griffin’s defense attorney, said...

http://www.registerstar.com/news/article_25d3f196-bf76-11e2-ad17-0019bb2963f4.html


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DUI victim's parents ask and receive mercy from judge for son's surviving friend (Original Post) BeyondGeography May 2013 OP
Would we as a society be better off if this guy had to go to prison? Comrade Grumpy May 2013 #1
Message auto-removed Name removed May 2013 #4
It depends on how wisely he uses the second chance he's been given. Salviati May 2013 #5
My mother-in-law did much the same thing when 2 of her grandsons cali May 2013 #2
Beautiful story. ananda May 2013 #3
Fully agree BeyondGeography May 2013 #9
Good for them. I hope Griffin takes advantage of this. n/t winter is coming May 2013 #6
+1 HiPointDem May 2013 #7
That's so beautiful, thank you. MannyGoldstein May 2013 #8
So true...just found this video; these are great, loving people BeyondGeography Jun 2013 #11
I had a classmate in that situation loyalsister May 2013 #10

Response to Comrade Grumpy (Reply #1)

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
2. My mother-in-law did much the same thing when 2 of her grandsons
Sat May 18, 2013, 02:57 PM
May 2013

and her grand niece were killed in a car accident. There were 6 kids in the car. they were coming back from drinking in Canada. The car ended up upside down in a brook. 5 of the kids drowned. Only the driver survived.

ananda

(28,781 posts)
3. Beautiful story.
Sat May 18, 2013, 03:00 PM
May 2013

Forgiveness is such a grace.

I mean, what is the point of forgiveness if the one forgiven has done something forgiveable?

 

MannyGoldstein

(34,589 posts)
8. That's so beautiful, thank you.
Sat May 18, 2013, 03:08 PM
May 2013

People who are willing to forgive and move on, instead of having the "throw the book at them" mentality that's grown so pervasive.

If our country had more people like Wische and Kelly, it would be a better place.

loyalsister

(13,390 posts)
10. I had a classmate in that situation
Sat May 18, 2013, 03:17 PM
May 2013

3 died and the driver lived. I don't know if the parents made any formal comments. But, one pointed out that it could have been any one of them driving. I could see her point. At the same time the driver was known for building up his car to get more speed. And, for basically being an aggressive driver for fun.
So, I think he probably did need to learn a lesson. I know he went to prison but I don't know how long. I don't think prison is always the best teacher. Losing a license permanently might have been, though.

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