Here is today's Gazette article on the sentencing of Aaron Shepherd. Many thanks to Judge William Mason, who saw through the pleas Shepherd and his family made for mercy and gave him the maximum sentence under the law.
Although you can read the article in its entirety in the above link, some quotes stick out. From Debra Harvey's victim impact statement:
"Mr. Shepherd, you are THE person who could have prevented this tragedy, but instead you encouraged and energized Mr. Henderson by leading [him] through your neighborhood until he found a suitable victim...You had at least two opportunities to opt out, to go in the house and stay there. You chose to walk, lead him through your neighborhood until he found someone defenseless and vulnerable —Lindsay.
"You have caused my family pain that will never go away...Additionally, you have caused your own family pain by your actions."
From an angry Juanita Brown, Shepherd's aunt:
"Another life gone." (forgetting, apparently, that her nephew is alive and probably stands the same chance of getting an early release from prison that his cousin Shawn Henderson did for his 1999 knife attacks).
And then there's Aaron Shepherd himself, who had the gall to ask a flabbergasted Mason to let him walk free yesterday.
"Your honor, I'm not a bad guy, and I'm not a good guy, either; but I'm a loving guy...I pray every night and day for Ms. Harvey...I can understand what the family is going through."
And yet Shepherd -- who himself lost a brother to a gunshot wound and almost lost another brother because of the same thing -- apparently saw no reason to try and stop a man with a loaded weapon from killing an unsuspecting victim.
These people really don't get it, do they?
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