A Reporter's Life

Nightclub sentence

The 29-year-old band manager who lit some fireworks that started a Rhode Island nightclub fire, which killed 100 people, was sentenced today to four years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and cried at his sentencing today, saying how sorry he feels.

It's a sad story all around, but the thing that struck me most in this article was that one victim's mother shouted at the manager's mother and later said about her, "Now it's her turn to suffer, just like we've been suffering because of her son."

In other words, this grieving mother wants an innocent woman to suffer. The woman had nothing to do with her son's actions that night, and she actually raised a son who took responsibility and pleaded guilty in the case -- even though he said he didn't know the nightclub had foam insulation, which acted as a fire starter. Why would someone wish more suffering on her than I'm sure she already feels?

Posted by Layla at 7:28 PM, May 10, 2006