Such a Shame

On April 9th 22 year-old Nick Adenhart and two friends were killed by a drunk driver. Earlier that same night Adenhart had made his MLB debut for the LA Angels and had been very impressive. On Monday afternoon the man charged with homicide for the incident pleaded "not guilty" in court to 3 counts of murder.

Andrew Thomas Gallo, also 22 years-old, is the man in question also pleaded "not guilty" to to three other felony charges and one misdemeanor. Gallo didn't personally make the plea but instead watched from inside a security enclosure as his lawyer Randall Longwith entered the plea for him.

Now I realise this isn't a 100% sports story but it is something that I feel passionate about so I am going to write about it.

The whole thing honestly pisses me off. The fact that this kid is pleading not guilty is the ultimate F you to the families of the departed. It is undeniable that he was drunk and he was the one driving. He needs to man up and take responsibility for his actions and the fact that anyone would represent him is despicable.

The worst part is that his lawyer is trying to get the venue moved because he feels his client won't get a fair trial in Orange County because of the communities ties to Adenhart and his friends who were also in the vehicle. As if people in other areas of California won't be outraged by this crime.

Deputy District Attorney Susan Price disputed the need for moving the case. "We don't believe that the defendant will be any more prejudiced in this county than in any other county," said Price, who was flanked by the victims' family members at a brief news conference outside the courtroom.

Some facts in the case I feel need mentioning before I go any further: Gallo had triple the legal blood alcohol level in his system when he was arrested, he ran a red light and smashed into Adenhart's car, he ran from the scene on foot and was captured 30 minutes later, during the crash he hit another car besides Adenhart's and luckily no one from that vehicle was hurt.

This guy is a premium douchebag. Not only does he get wasted and drive but then he hits 2 cars and runs away. He then has the audacity to plead not guilty. This means that when he made his plea he was basically saying that he didn't do anything wrong and doesn't deserve to be punished. What a crock of shit. The very fact that the US government, yes the Canadian government does this too, allows this to happen blows my mind. The facts are clear and he should be punished accordingly.

To make matters even worse it wouldn't say in the press release what his defense was going to be. I mean there is no logical defense he can use here and my guess is that he just wants a few more weeks of avoiding getting raped in the showers.

My favorite part of the press release was when Gallo's lawyer tried to stir up sympathy for his client. He noted that Gallo was being housed in a 14-man jail cell and was not in protective custody. He said his client is frequently in tears during their meetings and was crying when he came into court.

"He was pretty much in shock," Longwith said.

Sorry buddy but I have no sympathy for people who get drunk then drive. With the multitude of ways to get home when wasted there is no excuse to drive drunk. Period.

This whole story is just plain sad and I hope that the Adenhart family gets all the closure that it needs from the outcome of the trial.

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