Justice for all?
Franklin Chavez, after a night of drinking in December 2015, entered I-95 heading south in the northbound lane with his vehicle lights off. He slammed into the car driven by Elisa Diaz, killing passenger Carmen Criales and wounding Diaz and seriously injuring Bryan Criales. Chavez was sentenced to seven years in state prison followed by eight years of probation.
My grandson was arrested for trespassing (falling asleep in someone’s car). Because he had two prior convictions for non-violent offenses, the judge invoked the “three strikes” rule and sentenced him to 30 years in Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City.
It’s hard to understand why a young man who never hurt anyone gets a 30-year sentence, while another young man whose actions ended one life and injured two others, gets a much lighter sentence.
Phillip Hales,
Coral Springs
This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Justice for all?."