WHERE IS THE JUSTICE FOR A DESERVED IMPACT VICTIM

I ATTENDED THE SENTENCING HEARING TODAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008, IN THE STATE COURT OF FAYETTE COUNTY, OF MELISSA PAINTER WHOM TRAGICALLY TOOK THE LIVES OF TWO FINE FAYETTE COUNTY GENTLEMEN AND PUBLIC SERVANTS, LENNIE "THE LOCKSMITH DUNN" AND JOHN MINABERRY WHILE HAVING THREE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS IN HER SYSTEM.MRS. PAINTER WAS ONLY GIVEN TWO YERAS PROBATION FOR HER ACTIONS OF TAKING AWAY TWO GOOD LIVES.

MANY PEOPLE CAME AND SPOKE ABOUT THE TRAGEIC LOSS OF BOTH OF THESE FINE MEN'S LIVES AND THERE CONTIRBUTION TO THE FAYETTE COUNTY COMMUNITY.THE COURTROOM WAS FULL. THERE WERE FORMER FAMILY MEMBER'S FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE VICTIM'S FAMILIES, AS WELL AS THEIR FRIENDS THAT WERE ALLOWED TO GIVE THEIR VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS OF THIS TRAGIC LOSS BUT NOT MS. DUNN, LENNIE'S FORMER WIFE.

ONE THAT ALSO DESERVED CLOSURE WAS DENIED HER RIGHT TO SPEAK BECAUSE OF THE OBJECTION OF MRS.PAINTER'S ATTORNEY, STEVE HARRIS, WHOM NOW I REGRET I SUPPORTED DURING HIS CAMPAIGN WHEN HE RAN FOR SOLICITOR GENERAL.

WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO HAVE LENNIE'S FORMER WIFE, BARBIE DUNN, STATEMENT BE READ BY HER AS OTHERS WERE ALLOWED TO, I WAS DENIED DUE TO MR. HARRIS'S OBJECTION TO THE COURT OF MS. DUNN GIVING HER STATEMENT.

STEVE, I ASK YOU, DO YOU NOT THINK MS. DUNN DESERVED CLOSURE AS OTHERS WERE WHEN YOU KNEW HER PERSONALLY??? WHAT WOULD IT HAVE HURT BY GIVING HER THIS CLOSURE FROM THE PAIN SHE AND HER CHILDREN SUFFERED OVER YOUR CLIENT'S ACTIONS OVER THIS PAST YEAR? I HOPE YOU CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT BUT AS YOU ONCE TOLD ME, WE BOTH HAVE DIFFERENT ETHICS AND I AM GLAD WE DO!

JUDGE SAMS, WHOM IS THE FINEST JUDGE I HAVE BEEN IN FRONT OF AS A STATE COURT JUDGE, I HAVE THE UPMOST RESPECT FOR, SUSTAINED MR. HARRIS'S OBJECTION. HE WAS REQUIRED TO DO SO DUE TO THE OBJECTION MADE BUT MS. DUNN DESERVED HER CLOSURE AND SUFFERED EMOTIONALLY OVER THIS PAST YEAR DUE TO THIS TRAGIC LOSS JUST AS OTHERS THAT WERE ALLOWED TO SPEAK.

SO WHY MR. HARRIS WOULD YOU DENY HER JUSTICE TO GIVE HER STATEMENT TO THE COURT WHEN HER CHILDREN WERE ALLOWED TO? DO YOU HAVE A HEART OR JUST COLD BLOODED?

ERIC MAXWELL, WHOM IS A GREAT FRIEND AND EXCELENT ATTORNEY, HAD NO OBJECTION OF BARBIE DUNN'S STATEMENT BEING READ AS THE LAWYERS WERE CALLED TO THE BENCH WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ALLOW MS. DUNN HER DESERVED CLOSURE. ERIC AND I HAD TO WORK TOGETHER ON SOME LEGAL ISSUES DUE TO THIS TRAGIC LOSS TOGETHER AND I AM PROUD TO CALL HIM A FRIEND AND COLLEGUE. SORRY STEVE, BUT YOU REALLY DISAPPOINTED BY YOUR ACTIONS AND SHOWED MS. DUNN COMPLETE DISRESPECT IN MY BOOK AND TO ME AS WELL.

ON THE OTHER HAND, MS. DUNN WAS ALSO LET DOWN, IN MY OPINION BY THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE, BY NOT BEING TOLD IN ADVANCE BEFORE THE HEARING SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE HER STATEMENT. INSTEAD, THEY ALLOWED HER TO DRIVE MANY MILES, STILL VERY EMOTIONAL, WHEN A SIMPLE PHONE CALL WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFIENT AND THE COMMON CURTESY MS. DUNN DERSERVED ESPECIALLY AFTER THE PAIN SHE AND HER CHILDREN WENT THROUGH AND SUFFERED.

THIS WAS DUE TO THE MANY CONVERSATIONS AND INTERVIEWS MS. DUNN HAD WITH THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE OVER THE LOSS OF HER EX-HUSBAND AND HER CHILDREN'S STEP FATHER OVER THE PAST YEAR. BOTH OF LENNIE'S STEP DAUGHTERS WERE ALLOWED TO GIVE THEIR STATEMENTS BUT NOT THEIR MOTHER.

HOW COULD YOU MR. HARRIS BE SO COLD HEARTED IN DENYING MS. DUNN HER CLOSURE AFTER BEING OUT PREVIOUSLY IN A GROUP FOR DINNER WITH MS. DUNN AND OTHERS WHOM SHE CONSIDERED YOU A FRIEND PREVIOUSLY?

THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU MR. HARRIS, IF THE SHOE WAS ON THE OTHER FOOT, WOULD YOU NOT WANT JUSTICE TO SPEAK IF YOUR FORMER WIFE WAS TRAGICALLY TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN DUE TO SOMEONE HAVING ALL THOSE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS IN THEIR SYSTEM WHILE DRIVING THAT KILLED YOUR EX-WIFE THAT YOU WERE ON GOOD TERMS WITH? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU WERE TREATED LIKE SOMEONE YOU KNEW PERSONALLY LIKE YOU DID MS. DUNN?

AS MS. DUNN AND I ARRIVED TO THE COURTHOUSE BEFORE THE HEARING, I WAS TOLD BY THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE THAT LENNIE'S HALF SISTER, TRICIA MITCHELL WAS OBJECTING TO MS. DUNN GIVING HER IMPACT STATEMENT AND HAVING HER CLOSURE BUT NOT HER ATTORNEY, WHICH SHE DESERVED, BUT NO MENTION OF ATTORNEY STEVE HARRIS'S OJECTION. TURNS OUT THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE FAILED MS. DUNN IN A VERY BIG WAY BY THIS LACK OF COMMUNICATION BEFORE THE HEARING AND ADDING HER TO THE VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT LIST OF WITNESSES AND NOT TELLING HER OVER THE PAST YEAR.

THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN MS. DUNN ADVANCE NOTICE AND THE COMMON CURTSEY THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK. MS. DUNN HAD ONLY POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT A FINE GENTLEMEN THAT STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND HELP BE HER CHILDREN'S FATHER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG FOR OVER SIXTEEN YEARS.

LENNIE WAS A VERY LOVING AND CARING FATHER TO MS. DUNN'S FINE DAUGHTERS AND THEY BOTH LET IT BE KNOWN DURING THEIR TESTIMONY TO THE COURT JUST WHAT A FINE MAN LENNIE WAS AS THEIR FATHER AND THE LOSS THEY HAVE SUFFERED.

EVEN THOUGH MS. DUNN WAS DENIED HER JUSTICE AND CLOSURE, AT LEAST JUDGE SAMS, AFTER HEARING ALL THE IMPACT STATEMENTS OF OTHERS, ADDED CONDITIONS TO THE PREVIOUS NEGOCIATED PLEA.

JUDGE SAM'S INCREASED MRS. PAINTER'S COMMUNITY SERVICE FROM 240 HOURS, PREVIOUSLY OFFERED BY THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE, TO 1000 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE.

JUDGE SAM'S MADE THE COMMENT, AFTER HEARING ALL THE VICTIM'S IMPACT STATEMENTS THAT HE FELT LIKE HE HAD LOST A BEST FRIEND AS WELL. I THANK HIM FOR ADDING THE ADDITIONAL HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WHICH ONE-HALF HAS TO BE DONE AT AT HOSPITAL.

SINCE MRS.PAINTER WAS NOT GIVEN JAIL TIME FOR RECKLESSLY TAKING THE LIVES OF TWO FINE MEN BUT TWO YEARS OF PROBATION, AT LEAST SHE WILL HAVE TO SEE OTHER'S IN THE HOSPITAL WHEN PERFORMING THE ORDERED COMMUNITY SERVICE. I JUST HOPE MRS. PAINTER HAS TO WORK IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT WHERE LENNIE AND JOHN HAD TO LAY IN PAIN FOR OVER FIVE DAYS BEFORE BEING TAKING OFF RESPERATOR'S THAT ENDED THEIR LIVES DUE TO MRS. PAINTER'S DRIVING. MAYBE THEN SHE WILL SEE WHAT DAMAGE SHE HAS DONE TO THESE FINE FAMILIES AND THEIR LOSS.

THE TESTIMONY I HEARD, MRS.PAINTER HAD THREE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS IN HER SYSTEM ALONG WITH A STOMACH MUSCLE RELAXER WHEN THIS TRAGEDY OCCURRED WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THAT CAUSED THESE DEATHS. AGAIN MR. STEVE HARRIS, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DENY MS. DUNN HER DESERVED CLOSURE. MAYBE YOU FORGOT SHE ALSO HELP CAMPAIGN FOR YOU WHEN YOUR RAN FOR SOLICITOR GENERAL.

MR. HARRIS, I JUST HOPE THAT YOUR NEVER PUT IN THE POSITION THAT MS. DUNN WAS OR DO YOU VEN HAVE A HEART OR ANY COMPASSION? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR RESPONSE BUT DOUBT I WILL BECAUSE YOUR NOT THE MAN I THOUGHT YOU WERE.

SINCERELY,

BOBBY SUTTLES