Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Because it's never too late for justice

When I was 16, a girl named Kelly Ann Tinyes was murdered in my neighborhood. I didn't know her, but it didn't matter. EVERYONE in the area was devastated because this was, and still is, the kind of place where people just don't get murdered. It was a super safe neighborhood to grow up in and the entire populace was in a complete state of shock. As it turns out, the girl was found, wrapped in a bag and mutilated in the basement of her neighbor's house. Kelly was friends with the neighbor's younger son, John, and the case evidence proved she had gone over to the house after receiving a phone call from someone identifying themselves as John. But it was the older brother, Robert, who was, I believe, 21 at the time, who was eventually convicted of the murder. The younger brother was never convicted of anything but now the Nassau County DA is reopening the case against John more than 20 years later. The resulting fallout between the neighbors was legendary for years.

I hope there is something tangible to warrant this re-opening of the case. I always believed in my heart that John was somehow involved, but I also believe that if he is innocent then this is an egregious abuse of his privacy. It is not coincidental that the DA waited until the exact day of the 20th anniversary of the conviction to decide to reopen the case. If she (the DA) is simply seeking attention, then there is a special place in hell for someone who would publicly slander an innocent man for their own gain. BUT, if she has real evidence and John is indeed guilty, I hope you'll all say a prayer with me that his life is destroyed. Because that's the only way the scales could possibly be tipped at this point.

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