I saw this on Twitter, followed the link, and am angry. The judge in this case needs to be informed of his lack of judicial acumen.
The story’s behind a paywall at the Post, but not in other places.
Here’s something from the 2019 reporting: www.wkbw.com/…
And here’s something from this disgusting miscarriage of justice:
www.wkbw.com/…
He confessed to raping multiple children.
He got eight years’ probation in court — after blowing the conditions of earning “youthful offender” status when a previous judge put him on probation.
buffalonews.com/...
Why?
Here’s a hint:
"Justice was not done here today," said Steven M. Cohen.
"He is privileged, he comes from money, he is white," Cohen said of Belter. "He was sentenced as an adult, appropriately. For an adult to get away with these crimes is unjust."
Asked for his client's reaction, Cohen said, "She's in the bathroom throwing up."
Murphy had previously decided that Belter, now 20, would not be granted youthful offender status, although the crimes occurred when he was 16 and 17 years old. He said he struggled to come up with a just sentence.
Raw Story has more:
His family home was known as a "party house," which was encouraged by his 50-year-old mother Tricia Vacanti, 56-year-old stepfather Gary Sullo and family friend Jessica Long, 42, who allegedly supplied the teenage girls with alcohol and cannabis, and state police said they groomed the girls for sexual assaults by Belter.
All three adults have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and unlawfully dealing with a child.