Victim Impact Statement

The prosecution mentioned that if a guilty verdict came in, that a few people would be able to provide statements to the jury for consideration during sentencing and I may be asked to testify again. It turns out that I wasn't able to, since in a homicide, only immediate family members meet the definition of a victim. I had a few thoughts prepared that I wasn't able to share. You can view them by this link.

Todd's sister Lisa, his father David, and mother Carma were all able to share some thoughts. It was different than what I expected. They were sworn in, and asked some basic questions by the prosecuting attorney. It was so sweet to hear Lisa talk about her brother, just 11 months senior. David talked about Todd's professional pursuits, and what a great friend he was. Carma described how hard the whole thing has been emotionally. She had to tell her other children that Todd had been murdered, Lisa had taken a six week leave of absence from work, how Mark had flown in for the funerals, how Scott had decided to move, how I never got to celebrate the engagement I was so looking forward to, and all of us were robbed of having Todd in our lives.

I guess it is common to have someone speak in behalf of the defendant. John's brother was there at the trial, but it was just John and his lawyer asking for a reduced sentence. John provided half-hearted apologies to the Rogers family. He indicated how he knew what it was like to loose a brother, and asked for their forgiveness. He blamed the legal system for not being able to apologize previously. He indicated that he wanted to say something to me, then changed his mind, saying that he couldn't address me quite yet, but maybe sometime in the future.

A pre-sentence report is compiled for final sentencing on May 16, 2008. If you feel like you have been impacted by Todd's death, you are welcome to contribute a written statement regarding the financial, physical, and emotional impact of this crime upon you. It should be addressed "Dear Judge". You can submit the written statement to me to forward to our victim's advocate by April 30, 2008. I have some example statements if you are interested. A short letter can be just as impactful (and more likely to be read completely) as a long letter. I am planning to ask that John be sentenced to the full 35 years. I have been told that we are not allowed mention Devin, as we may risk a mistrial by doing so.