Letters to the Editor 2002-2004
December 13, 2002
Edition: FINAL
Section: VIEWPOINTS
Page: C11
WHY WOULD JUDGE LET MOTHER REMAIN FREE?
Regarding the case of Jessica Vitale-Elgie, who pleaded guilty in the death of her 5-year-old son, I am incensed that Justice Penny Wolfgang would consider a non-jail sentence in this crime.
According to The News, Vitale-Elgie admitted that she forced her son to launder his clothes in a bucket of detergent, then swallow three cups of the solution. He was also forced to recite the alphabet and numbers while the rest of the family calmly ate their dinners. After that he was allowed to suffer for hours before being taken to the hospital to die. What kind of mother would inflict such cruel and unusual punishment upon her son, and what type of father would stand by and allow such depravity?
This woman was allowed to remain free pending her Feb. 6 sentencing. This is one of the most appalling, shocking, dreadful incidents to come to my attention in years. I am thoroughly disgusted with any system of justice that would allow her to remain free for any amount of time.
Vitale-Elgie's lawyer stated that she wants to "move forward and get this behind her" and that "reunification" with her other children is imminent. Why? Perhaps her young son would have liked the opportunity to move forward. Tragically, he will never have the opportunity to do so.
ALICE DEGENHART SZANYI
Kenmore
July 11, 2003
Edition: FINAL
Section: VIEWPOINTS
Page: C11
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS TO BLAME FOR DELAYS
I am writing in response to the recent letter from the vice president of VOCAL-NY. While Mary Jo Marceau-Hawthorne tries to make a victim of the defendant, Jessica Vitale-Elgie, her argument targets the laws governing child abuse rather than the appropriate cause of delay: the criminal justice system in its entirety. The tremendous backlog of cases, the complexity of investigations, the number of participants and the intricacies of each case create extreme delays.
It is not the child abuse laws per se that have caused this delay, but VOCAL may simply be a convenient group being used to rally round this case. Marceau-Hawthorne has taken as her cause this defendant, who unlike the majority of defendants, has two notable lawyers working on her behalf. The energies of VOCAL might better be directed toward those who have no one, much less two high-powered attorneys, to defend them.
DONNA LEVIN
Buffalo
January 23, 2004
Edition: FINAL
Section: VIEWPOINTS
Page: C11
CHILD'S DEATH MERITS STRONGER PUNISHMENT
In reading about the death of 5-year-old C.J.Elgie, it seems as though a human life means very little. It is my opinion that the ex-husband and wife are both to blame for C.J.'s death. After all, parenthood is a partnership shared by both. The ex-husband had to see what was going on in the household. Only they know what really happened that day.
Shame on State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Forma. I wonder if he would have said the things he said in court if Jessica Vitale-Elgie were uneducated and unattractive, and if she would have gotten off with very few consequences.
IDALENE MUSCARELLA
East Amherst
February 8, 2004
Edition: FINAL
Section: VIEWPOINTS
Page: H3
DOUBLE STANDARD EXISTS IN COURTS
Donn Esmonde's recent column concerning the 5-year-old adopted Vietnamese boy who died after ingesting detergent while under the supervision of his mother, Jessica Vitale-Elgie, was heart-wrenching. It is disgusting that the judge gave Elgie only a slap on the wrist rather than administering appropriate justice.
This judge should be rebuked for his irresponsibility. Had this woman been of low income from the East Side rather than a white woman from Amherst, I believe she would have been punished appropriately.
JOHN FEHR
Hamburg
February 25, 2004
Edition: FINAL
Section: VIEWPOINTS
Page: B9
JUDGE RULED CORRECTLY IN ELGIE TRIAL
Donn Esmonde's column, "Judging the judge in the Elgie case," and many letters to the editor regarding the Jessica Elgie case have contained so many misrepresentations that the record needs to be set straight.
Elgie's family and friends have remained silent out of respect for court proceedings, but we must now express our outrage at people, including Esmonde, who had the audacity to try Elgie in the media without the facts and without compassion for this mother and her children.
Elgie loved and cared for C.J. 24-7 in addition to loving and caring for her other three children. She sought every kind of help available to assist in C.J.'s growth and development. She arranged for him to be seen by occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech pathologists. She took C.J. to pediatricians, a cardiologist and an endocrinologist to seek diagnoses and treatment for C.J.'s problems. She also sought help for his possible attachment disorder syndrome. C.J.'s tragic death has been the most traumatic and devastating event for Elgie and her family.
The allegations purported by the district attorney's office and Elgie's in-laws in C.J.'s death were not supported by any evidence.
Esmonde, television reporters and people who wrote letters did not study the trial testimony or all of the reports given to the court. Judge Joseph Forma, on the other hand, spent countless hours studying court documents -- toxicology reports, emergency room reports, physician reports, blood analysis reports and autopsy records relating to C.J.'s death. Forma's goal in rendering his decision on this case was justice.
BRIDGET FLYNN
Buffalo