"Tears just came down my face when I heard the news"
Dan Abendschein wrote this entry for Crime Scene after interviewing Angela Chung's sister Tuesday:
Staci Chung, the sister of Angela Chung, the Temple City 19-year-old Woodbury student who was killed in December in a car accident after a 17-year-old smashed into her at 80 mph, says she was very unhappy with the light sentence the defendant received.
"Tears just came down my face when I heard the news," Chung said in a phone interview, the day after the sentence. As we reported in today's Tribune, the 17-year-old, who was tried as a minor, received a three-month sentence in a juvenile camp. She had been fleeing from police when she hit Angela Chung, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, evading police, and street racing.
Compare that to a similar case involving an adult, named Juan Dena, who killed two people in El Monte after a high speed chase with police. He received 34 years to life. If she were a year older, and the juvenile in this case would be in a much worse situation.
Staci Chung also said she could not accept the belated apology that the defendant offered at yesterday's hearing.
"We were looking for the apology in the week after the accident, or in January at the first hearing," said Chung. "Now it is too late."
The sad part of it for Chung was that her family have been willing to accept a sentence of 9 months in a juvie camp, which was what prosecutors told her would be the maximum penalty in the case. She said she did not understand why the judge in the case only gave the defendant three months.
For more on the case click here.
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Dan Abendschein
Staff Writer, SGV Tribune
626-962-8811 ext. 2105
dan.abendschein@sgvn.com
http://www.insidesocal.com/laoutdoors/
Comments
Hard to believe, for sure. We need to get rid of that judge. He is sending the wrong message to our youth. 3 months? A life is worth more.
Do you wonder why kids these days are out of control??
Posted by: D-Mo | April 16, 2008 8:43 AM
Hard to believe, for sure. We need to get rid of that judge. He is sending the wrong message to our youth. 3 months? A life is worth more.
Do you wonder why kids these days are out of control??
Posted by: D-Mo | April 16, 2008 8:47 AM
Much more time was needed for this crime, thank another liberal California judge for another miscarriage of justice.
I also wanted to comment on your police cadet story and the Baca race motivation story but neither thread are allowing any. Been trying the Baca one since it was posted. Can you fix it?
Local Boy
Posted by: Local Boy | April 16, 2008 2:56 PM
The "liberal California judge" line is old and tired. I'd love to see proof that this judge is a "liberal". Of course, that won't stop you from spouting your typical baseless political rhetoric. But if it makes you feel better, go for it.
Posted by: Common Sense | April 16, 2008 4:52 PM
The "liberal California judge" line is old and tired. I'd love to see proof that this judge is a "liberal". Of course, that won't stop you from spouting your typical baseless political rhetoric. But if it makes you feel better, go for it.
Posted by: Common Sense | April 16, 2008 4:54 PM
Well let's see, the suspect could have been sentenced to a juvenile facility until she was 25 based on the FOUR FELONIES she plead guilty to. Where did this 9 month max come from? She wasn't even given that though was she?
Two of those were manslaughter and felony evading which she was doing when she slammed into Angela Chung. She cut short the life of a 19 year old and gets 3 months for it. Sound about right to you? I could care less about her life prior to the crime, that changed everything.
Sandi Gibbons statement that the girl apologized to the family doesn't mater one bit. As the victims sister implied it was a bit late in coming.
Now if the judge isn't liberal than you go ahead and tell me that the sentence isn't wrong, does take into effect the seriousness of the crimes that were plead out to and that a judge that wasn't liberal or soft on crime wasn't they type who handed this down.
I will check into which idiot judge decided on this sentence and in the mean time you can go ahead and tell me the sentence was right.
Local Boy
Posted by: Local Boy | April 16, 2008 6:56 PM