kassandra kaulius drunk driving/hit and run sentencing in court today

[canali]

http://www.surreyleader.com/news/183844341.html

as you've probably read, kassandra kaulius (young university student, softball champ, worked 2 jobs)
was killed in may/2011 by drunk driver natasha warren who, after a canucks playoff game, smashed into kassandra with a company van (going 103kph)...just read today that natasha ran a light that had been red for 10 seconds...she fled the scene but was chased by a witness (to be shortly apprehended while hiding in bushes nearby)...her blood alcohol showed 2x the legal limit (she had downed 1.5 litres of wine beforehand)

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/charges-recomme...ulius-1.783093

the kaulius family has since kassandra's tragic death, via their 'families for justice' link,
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Famili...64459386985766
been trying to get mandatory minimums of 5 yrs for drunk drivers causing death (with additional yrs to be
served for those scum who kill while drunk and also pull a hit and run)....feel free to visit the site, print off
the petition, sign it and send it in if you wish
they also have a memorial fb for their daughter: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kassan...60530060677234

....markita (kassandra's mom) needs 25,000 signatures before it can be read as a possible amendment worthy of consideration in Ottawa (she's over 16,000 so far)....right now there are no mandatory minimums (sure there are maximums but they're hardly enforced)...and as we all know, most drunk drivers get 2-5 but then walk after 2/3 sentence served...meanwhile the lives of the surviving members of the victim are never the same.

'Our family is devastated,' Surrey crash victim

anyway, back to this story: ...this just came out today that right after the crash, natasha then either texted or phoned her boyfriend...witnesses say she looked into kassandra's car, saw the carnage she has caused went into shock
...the boyfriend suggested she take the keys, flee and report it as a stolen van...SCUMBAG DOUCHE!


If anyone can publish this pos's name... a huge public shaming is needed for this douchebag.

"Kaulius' family made sounds of disgust when Pike noted that Warren phoned her boyfriend after the crash to say she thought police were chasing her, and her boyfriend sent her a text message telling her to get out of the van, take the keys and run, and that they could report van as stolen.''

kassandra's mom faced natasha directly in the courtroom and said this (here from cbc report)
"“You left my daughter to die in the street,” Makita Kaulius told Warren, after holding up the ripped softball team shirt her daughter died in. “You took away her hopes, her dreams and her future."
'You left my daughter to die in the street'

[beproud]

About time eh, drinking is unacceptable.

[unit]

drinkings fine, just dont drive after, which is what im sure you meant ;P

[dinosaur]

Such a shame. I am interested to see what type of sentence she will get...

I am also eagerly awaiting Cory Sater's trial (who killed Charlene Reaveley and Lorraine Cruz on Feb 11, 2011). I knew Charlene...she was an amazing person.

Cory was also intoxicated and fled the scene....trial date is Feb 2013.

[canali]

let's hope so...

Originally Posted by unit

drinkings fine, just dont drive after, which is what im sure you meant ;P

[canali]

oh yeah...Cory Sater. mowing down good samaritan charlene reaveley and the 2 persons she'd tried to help out that night,
lorraine cruz (also died) and injuring her boyfriend paulo calabahim so badly he had to later have a foot amputated.

...i have very closely followed that dual fatal hit and run
Police arrest PoCo man in double fatal hit and run

...i attended the first fund raiser for the reaveley family shortly after her death (I got my company to donate 2 blkberries for the auction) ...am really choked on that one, too....no life insurance for charlene... 4 kids left behind

what is interesting as a sideline will be the facts surrounding lorraine's boyfriend, paulo calabahim, and how he his alleged drunk driving caused the initial accident that caused charlene and dan to stop and help out (though paulo later denied it, saying it was lorraine who was the driver).

but what fall out afterwords too.....ie tracy _____...who was one of the major organizers for that 1st fundraiser at that pub, then to later read some hurtful accusations towards dan on charlene's memorial page before they was taken off ...my jaw dropped when i read them...don't know what caused that...or how true or not they are.

[B][I]but back to cory: he had previous assault convictions...was on parole with conditions to NOT drink...... in his jeep cherokee, drunk, he smashed right into both charlene, lorraine cruz and paulo and did not even stop...even first responders had to get counselling from the carnage they saw of the dead bodies of lorraine and charlene...and all this happened right in front of her husband Dan who of course went into shock, and was going back and forth between his now dead wife and the severely injured paulo

...then cory sater dumps his jeep (it's found a few km away, shortly thereafter), turns himself in the next day only after hiring top defence attorney Tony Serka (who boasts on his site for having a 'knack for acquittals''). cory knew that had he stopped and had a blood alcohol check for such a crime, given his conditions and past record, he would have been royally fucked..hence his not stopping as he plowed thru 3 people (paulo, lorraine and charlene)

and the clincher: serka asked for judge only when the trial starts (as defence he has choice of jury or judge only)...no doubt he knew his client cory would be eviscerated were there to be jury to hear the facts against him...serka no doubt hopes he can engage in legal acrobatics with the judge alone to get a lesser sentence (as we all know most judges lack the balls to hand down substantial sentences in drunk driving fatalities)
...

Originally Posted by dinosaur

Such a shame. I am interested to see what type of sentence he will get''...

I am also eagerly awaiting Cory Sater's trial (who killed Charlene Reaveley and Lorraine Cruz on Feb 11, 2011). I knew Charlene...she was an amazing person.

Cory was also intoxicated and fled the scene....trial date is Feb 2013.

[dinosaur]

she really was a good person. it was very shocking

[Geoc]

I just kinda wanted to point out specifically that the witnesses selflessly chased after the drunk driver allowing the police to apprehend her.

Without their selfless actions that they had taken the drunk driver may have never been caught or would get off scott free due to insufficient evidence.

It's good to know that there are still people out there aren't taking the 'not my problem' approach, and willing to look out after others.

[canali]

absolutely bang on...agree wholeheartedly...and to have to witnessed that horrific accident must have been traumatic,
...yet this person still had a big heart and found the courage to 'do the right thing'.

Originally Posted by Geoc

I just kinda wanted to point out specifically that the witnesses selflessly chased after the drunk driver allowing the police to apprehend her.

Without their selfless actions that they had taken the drunk driver may have never been caught or would get off scott free due to insufficient evidence.

It's good to know that there are still people out there aren't taking the 'not my problem' approach, and willing to look out after others.

[2 n r]

+1 for witnesses. i got into an accident a couple of months back and would have been fucked over if it hadn't been for that girl walked by to ask if i was ok

and an extra +1 for chasing down that driver

[Mr.C]

She'll get a couple years, and then be out on parole in a year. Sentencing for drunk driving murders in this country is a joke.

[Mr.Money]

they need to set an example already and give a person 20 years in jail for murder....speaking of jails....they should just make them shit hole's & spend less money on it..let'em rot slow.

[inv4zn]

Scum of the earth with no morals or ethics. How big of a piece of breathing shit do you have to be to look inside the car you've hit, see a bloody person on their dying breath, then run away. Fuck. I had a cousin who got T-boned by a drunk driver, who tried to flee, but was caught later on. Cousin was in a coma for a few days, and is still now not fully recovered, and this was 7 years ago.

Fuck this country - and most "developed" countries - and its obsession with human rights.

If you commit a crime that rids you of your humanity, then you shouldn't get the same rights or treated as a human being.

[drunkrussian]

even if she only gets a few years, good luck getting a job with that record, and if you do get one, it's gonna be shit. She'll certainly pay the price throughout her whole life for this one way or another

[vantrip]

The sentencing is gonna be a shame for the family, this bitch is gonna get probation and a fine and will go back to her pathetic life, while the other family lost their daughter.

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by drunkrussian

even if she only gets a few years, good luck getting a job with that record, and if you do get one, it's gonna be shit. She'll certainly pay the price throughout her whole life for this one way or another

something tells me her career path wasn't so stellar to begin with

[City-bear]

while I agree this story is tragic, the petition is a joke. i think mandatory sentences are silly. each case/person/sentence/circumstances should be looked at specifically.
everybody makes mistakes, no matter how shitty the result, sometimes people just arent thinking about the worst possible scenario of their actions.

having mandatory sentences will not affect people's decision making regarding drunk driving.
jail doesnt do shit, just a waste of taxpayer money. it will probably ruin the life of the culprit as well...and just because she ruined someone's life doesnt mean the best way to deal with her is to ruin hers as well.
rather keep jail for the real criminals. not the regular people who make a mistake (again, I can understand if this person drinks and drives all the time).

in this case, I feel like the idiotic BF should be just as guilty as this girl.

[ilvtofu]

Drunk driver Natasha Warren's heartfelt letter promising to preserve Kassandra Kaulius's memory

To all of society and the Kaulius family,

I can tell you first-hand about the dangers and terrors that drinking and driving causes.

It is often talked about how people should be extra careful and plan a safe ride during the holidays but others should be aware all year, seven days of the week. This is my plea for everyone to PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.

Don't think that what happens to other people won't happen to you. If you drink and drive a tragedy can, will, and does happen to anyone. Innocent people drive around every day minding their own business and they don't deserve to have targets on their backs and need to worry that they could be killed at any moment.

When this happens families are destroyed and will never be the same again. Holidays and family dinners will never be the same again. Birthdays are not birthdays anymore but rather serve as memorial days for the victims.

If you drink and drive and this happens to you, you will never be the same again and you will never stop thinking about that dreadfully, tragic day that you caused. I will spend the rest of my life trying to prevent others from causing the same kind of grief that I have caused.

To the Kaulius family,

I know your family will never accept my apology and for that I understand.

So how does one write an apology using words? They could never explain fully the deep remorse I feel every moment of every day.

The only way I could show your family how sorry I am is by committing myself to educating the public including youths about the dangers of drinking and driving and how serious it is.

It is unimaginable to think about what you are all going through. The reason I didn't turn around to look at your side of the courtroom is because defendants are to address the judge when they ask someone if they have anything to say. It isn't often the judge asks this of a defendant and I was nervous and unprepared.

Deep regret, sadness, and remorse are the feelings I have towards your family. An apology just won't be good enough to satisfy your needs to heal and no amount of a jail sentence will ever be enough. There will never be enough that I could do show your family how sorry I am.

Kassandra was a very special person who can never be replaced and never will. This I cannot do but wish I could. Just know that I will preserve her memory by giving lectures everywhere and anywhere that people, schools, and institutions will allow. This is a promise from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Natasha

[dinosaur]

37 months in jail and 8 year driving ban. mostly likely will only serve a fraction of the 37 months.

sick.

[Geoc]

I hate those apology letters, they mean little to nothing to the grieving family. In most, if not all cases, they are either written because the lawyers told them to, or to save face because they got caught.

If she got away, I can guarantee she will not have written a letter like that.

[minoru_tanaka]

What kind of moron gets drunk and then decides to drive almost double the speed limit? Most people after drinking would drive slower cause they're scared of being caught and cause they know they're impaired. Did none of these things cross her mind? I don't understand her reasoning and I don't think she should ever be allowed to drive again.

Originally Posted by dinosaur

37 months in jail and 8 year driving ban. mostly likely will only serve a fraction of the 37 months.

sick.

Like after not driving for 8 years she'll come back as a better driver

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by ilvtofu

Drunk driver Natasha Warren's heartfelt letter promising to preserve Kassandra Kaulius's memory

i wonder if her lawyer was her ghost writer on this

Originally Posted by dinosaur

37 months in jail and 8 year driving ban. mostly likely will only serve a fraction of the 37 months.

sick.

i also wonder if she'll actually listen to the ban and stay away from a car for 8 years. seems common to hear in the news that someone did something stupid with a car and they were on a ban or prohibited from driving

[geeknerd]

Just out of curiosity, would time spent in jail include time for the 8year ban? or would it start after she is released.

[dinosaur]

Another delay in trial for suspect in 2011 Coquitlam hit-and-run that killed two women

This is pretty fucking frustrating! Buddy just HAD to wait until the last min to request Supreme Court over Provincial buying him more time....Trial was suppose to begin in February and now it is delayed again for months.

The fact that Sater is trying to delay shows he has NO acceptance of what he did...

[bloodmack]

I wonder how many of us are fine with drinking but against drugs.