Plea by teen to get 20 year sentence reduce for drunk driving fatalaties

[betamanlet]

and fleeing the scene.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...QUT_story.html

LIsten to his attitude. Unreal.

[Gopher]

Mr. Coffay got off easy. The filthy little drunk will be eligible for parole in about four years while his victims will be dead forever. Had it been up to me he would be serving maximum consecutive sentences for each of the crimes he committed. He would be in his eighties before he walked free from that prison. He was intoxicated. He was driving the car. He was driving recklessly. He was solely responsible for the events that led to three deaths that night. If the little drunk prick somehow feels as if he’s being made an example of something then that’s just too damn bad.

[prepfan]

“I realize that I am completely responsible for what I did that night,” Coffay wrote. “It still haunts my mind every day. I wake up and think about what happened that night. All the things I wish I could go back and change, and the guilt I feel keeps me up at night often here in prison.

“However, I do think Judge Adams unfairly punished me to address and try to alter the actions of what she described as a ‘culture of recklessness.’ It is not fair to punish me for something I have nothing to do with. I did not create the culture of teens around me and in no way should be held accountable for it.”

[Saticon3]

“I realize that I am completely responsible for what I did that night,” Coffay wrote. “It still haunts my mind every day. I wake up and think about what happened that night. All the things I wish I could go back and change, and the guilt I feel keeps me up at night often here in prison.

“However, I do think Judge Adams unfairly punished me to address and try to alter the actions of what she described as a ‘culture of recklessness.’ It is not fair to punish me for something I have nothing to do with. I did not create the culture of teens around me and in no way should be held accountable for it.”

You captured the crux of the matter. In para.1, he "accepts" responsibility, then in para. 2., he rejects it and blames the "culture" and says it isn't his fault.

He is where he should be, jail, and he should be there for a long time.

I don't even like the law that allows for the modification of sentence. So many times what happens is the judges in charge will hold the decicision in abeyance for a year or two, then quietly when the case has dropped from the public radar, lower the sentence.

[prepfan]

You captured the crux of the matter. In para.1, he "accepts" responsibility, then in para. 2., he rejects it and blames the "culture" and says it isn't his fault.

He is where he should be, jail, and he should be there for a long time.

I don't even like the law that allows for the modification of sentence. So many times what happens is the judges in charge will hold the decicision in abeyance for a year or two, then quietly when the case has dropped from the public radar, lower the sentence.

I read it to say that it was the Judge who brought in ‘culture of recklessness.’

But I can't see where "It is not fair to punish me for something I have nothing to do with." can be rationalized.

[watson34]

It sickens me to see how much a life is worth to the Court System, or I might say some peoples life. A plea deal for a person who was drunk and fleed the scene. Wonder if the parents had any say in this plea deal. I agree with the post above be would have been 80 if he lived that long before he would be free. From the plea, the parents must have just been regular citizens with no conections so they get screwed on this one.

[betamanlet]

GenY connor probably thought that getting sent to his bedroom with milk and cookie would have been punishment enough.

[yuca]

Mr. Coffay got off easy. The filthy little drunk will be eligible for parole in about four years while his victims will be dead forever. Had it been up to me he would be serving maximum consecutive sentences for each of the crimes he committed. He would be in his eighties before he walked free from that prison. He was intoxicated. He was driving the car. He was driving recklessly. He was solely responsible for the events that led to three deaths that night. If the little drunk prick somehow feels as if he’s being made an example of something then that’s just too damn bad.

If you think he got off easy, what about the man and woman in Baltimore who killed the two young girls and got off scott free because the jury couldn't figure out who was driving?

[betamanlet]

If you think he got off easy, what about the man and woman in Baltimore who killed the two young girls and got off scott free because the jury couldn't figure out who was driving?

And funny how that was buried as a local story while this is the top article on the FRONT page of the washington post today. I read it on the metro, and was just in disbelief.

[CIB]

And funny how that was buried as a local story while this is the top article on the FRONT page of the washington post today. I read it on the metro, and was just in disbelief.

Well, as I said before:
Blame the PROSECUTORS for that one. I have no idea why they basically gave total immunity to the woman when they had no real evidence there was a switch in the first place.

This one, all things considered, I do feel this kid deserves the twenty years. ALL the twenty years, no parole. No, he doesn't deserve to be punished for " a culture" or "how he looked" or anything else the Judge has a prejudice against, but just for what he did. But what he did was horrible enough, and he should quit his complaining.

[ybnormal]

I'm outraged that this POS is even breathing air.

[temptationwalk]

I'm outraged that this POS is even breathing air.

So, what are you going to do about it ?

[rurdy]

Well, as I said before:
Blame the PROSECUTORS for that one. I have no idea why they basically gave total immunity to the woman when they had no real evidence there was a switch in the first place.

This one, all things considered, I do feel this kid deserves the twenty years. ALL the twenty years, no parole. No, he doesn't deserve to be punished for " a culture" or "how he looked" or anything else the Judge has a prejudice against, but just for what he did. But what he did was horrible enough, and he should quit his complaining.

^THIS^

I think the jury had their hands tied by the charges brought by an over zealous AG.

[Gopher]

The judges that reviewed the sentence reduced it from twenty years to eight years. The little drunk POS will be eligible for parole in two years.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/loca...illed-3-042012

[OldBay]

The judges that reviewed the sentence reduced it from twenty years to eight years. The little drunk POS will be eligible for parole in two years.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/loca...illed-3-042012

I don't know if it is an urban myth or not, but I remember a story about such a drunk driver getting off lightly and his next victim - shortly after his release, was the judge who let him off.

[mythoughts]

...“I understand that many people, especially the families of the victims, are angry and demand vengeance — the fact remains that this was an accident and I never set out to hurt my friends in the car,” Coffay, now 21, wrote to the court....

POS Coffay,
You also left your "friends" to die at the scene while you attempted to get away to save you own @$$, you worthless, self-centered punk !

I don't think for one moment that those you are calling "friends" would call you their friend anymore after abandoning them when they needed you most.

You should rot in jail !

[georjec2]

When he gets out he is guaranteed to get his license back. It's his privilege.

[Mitchum]

You captured the crux of the matter. In para.1, he "accepts" responsibility, then in para. 2., he rejects it and blames the "culture" and says it isn't his fault.

He is where he should be, jail, and he should be there for a long time.

I don't even like the law that allows for the modification of sentence. So many times what happens is the judges in charge will hold the decicision in abeyance for a year or two, then quietly when the case has dropped from the public radar, lower the sentence.

That just happened to my former Boss's son. He's 29 and has 7 DUI's and still has his driver's license and has only done a couple of weekends in jail. The last time he was arrested he was given 2 years suspended and I just noticed that his lawyer asked the Judge for a modification of sentence and after 6 months the judge knocked it back to nothing. His father is buddies with the judge. He rents commercial property from the guy.

[overtaxed]

If he had only killed them while texting, it wouldn't even be a story. The governments own study shows that texting is several times more dangerous the driving while drunk.

[betamanlet]

That just happened to my former Boss's son. He's 29 and has 7 DUI's and still has his driver's license and has only done a couple of weekends in jail. The last time he was arrested he was given 2 years suspended and I just noticed that his lawyer asked the Judge for a modification of sentence and after 6 months the judge knocked it back to nothing. His father is buddies with the judge. He rents commercial property from the guy.

If that were true then there is such a conflict of interest that not only would he have to resign, but the judge would probably be put up on criminal charges.