18 y.o.child-slave who shot abusive Daddy to death w/bow & arrow,is found guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter,in CT
Joe1orbit
Over in Connecticut yesterday, an 18 year old child-slave named Salvatore
Colavito was found guilty of second degree manslaughter, for having used a BOW
& ARROW to shoot his Daddy to death. Prosecutors had charged this slave with
MURDER, but at least the jury maintained enough rationality to reject that
charge, and go with a much less severe manslaughter conviction. Instead of LIFE
in prison, our enraged son now only faces a MAXIMUM 10 year prison term. Of
course I consider ALL punitive societal punishment to be unjustified, but 10
years is a lot BETTER then Life in a cage. Slave Salvatore will get back into
society at a relatively young age, and be able to enjoy the freedom that he
deserves.
At trial, defense attorneys argued that the shooting was an accident.
According to the boy, he was holding the crossbow in his hands while walking
around the house. He accidently STEPPED on the family CAT, which caused him to
lose his balance, and for him to accidently pull the trigger on the crossbow,
causing a 15 inch long arrow to be hurled DIRECTLY into the CHEST of his Daddy!
Very improbable story, but it sounds like the jury WAS convinced that there was
some reasonable doubt as to whether this was an intentional killing, and so
they went with the significantly more lenient manslaughter conviction.
Prosecutors pointed out that But prosecutors sought a murder conviction,
pointing out that Salvatore never called for an ambulance, hid evidence, and
lied to police. But this was not enough to convince the jury to impose a murder
conviction. Was this slave ABUSED by his Daddy? Of course he was! Even the
prosecutor admits that Salvatore had "grown intolerant of his father and found
him abusive." But of course the abuse is glossed over and ignored, as
prosecutors tried to DEMONIZE the slave for DARING to target his OWNER for
violent vengeance.
Interestingly, defense attorney's did NOT bring up the issue of Salvatore
being an ABUSED CHILD at all. Why not? Because the defense they chose to go
with was that the arrow murder was a complete ACCIDENT. So, defense lawyers
decided the best tactical argument would involve IGNORING the truth, and
continuing to CONCEAL the REALITY of the ABUSE that this choild was subjected
too. Well, ya can't argue with success, and a 2nd degree manslaughter verdict
has to be considered a modest success for the defense. So, good tactical job by
Salvatore's lawyers. In a LIE-BASED society, it just doesn't PAY to tell the
truth, most of the time.
Sentencing is set for April 13th, and in the meantime, despite the
conviction, Salvatire does remain FREE on $250,000 bail money, probably put up
by his Mommy. It is NOT totally clear whether Salvatore was 18 years old when
he committed this killing back in 1996, OR if he is only NOW 18 years old.
Obviously it is a TOTAL outrage that he was even tried as an adult, if in fact
he was only 16 years old in October of 1996, when the fatal incident occured.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of yesterday's Associated Press news wire:
Teen Guilty in Slaying of Father
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) -- A teen-ager who was charged with murder after
shooting his father with a bow and arrow was convicted Friday of second-degree
manslaughter.
Salvatore Colavito, 18, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the October
1996 death of 41-year-old Leonard Colavito. The elder Colavito was found dead
inside his home with a 15-inch arrow wound from his chest to his pelvis.
Salvatore Colavito claimed the shooting was an accident that happened after he
stepped on the family cat while holding the weapon.
But prosecutors sought a murder conviction, pointing out that Colavito never
called for help, hid evidence and lied to police. Prosecutor John Redway said
the son had grown intolerant of his father and found him abusive.
Defense attorney Richard Brown described Salvatore Colavito as a young man who
loved his father, and said any perceived cover-up was simply the action of a
teen-ager confused and shocked by his father's death.
A murder charge would have carried a sentence of 25 years to life.
Sentencing was scheduled for April 13.
AP-NY-02-05-99
---------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 2/6/99 online edition of The Middletown
Press newspaper:
Sat., Feb. 6, 1999
Colavito guilty of manslaughter
By AMY L. ZITKA
Middletown Press Staff
Salvatore Colavito was found innocent of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.
The 18-year-old, charged with murdering his father with a bow and arrow, was
convicted Friday of second-degree manslaughter. A 12-member jury deliberated
three days, rejecting findings of murder, intentional murder and first-degree
manslaughter to settle on the lesser charge.
"They had to go through three charges to get to this one," defense attorney
Richard Brown said.
From a possibility of life in prison, Colavito now faces up to 10 years in
prison.
The teen was accused of killing his 41-year-old father, Leonard Colavito, on
Oct. 25, 1996. Colavito was arrested and charged with murder the next day.
When the case was handed over to the seven-woman, five-man jury Tuesday, its
members were given alternative charges to consider if the teen was found
innocent of plotting to kill his father. The least option was criminally
negligent homicide, which could have put Colavito in prison for up to a year.
"They basically ruled out intent that caused the death," Brown said. "There was
a lack of sufficient evidence of any intent."
With the lack of evidence, it may have cast reasonable doubt into the jury's
minds about the intent to cause serious injury or death, he said. The
second-degree manslaughter charge relates to reckless conduct in causing a
person's death.
Brown had claimed before and throughout the trial the shooting was accidental.
He argued Colavito stepped on the family cat -- Patches -- while struggling
over the bow with his father. Brown also argued the teen had tried to call 911,
but passed out in the process from the sight of blood. When he fled the scene
of the crime, it was because he was innocently terror-stricken, Brown said.
State's Attorney John T. Redway contended the arrow shot was intentional and
that multiple issues, such as physical abuse, may have led Colavito to kill his
father. He argued that the teen was rebellious and defiant, buying items
including a car and the bow without his parents knowing about it, fighting in
school and ignoring "in-house" rules set by his father.
Redway also claimed Colavito intended to kill his father because he had bought
hunting-style arrow tips and practiced shooting the day of Leonard Colavito's
death. The teen also tried to cover up the crime by throwing out the bow and
arrow, leaving a note indicating a stranger had fired the fatal shot, and
driving his father's truck to a parking lot and staying at his girlfriend's
house until the police arrived, he contended.
Redway was "unavailable" for the reading of the verdict Friday afternoon, said
Assistant State's Attorney Timothy Liston, who sat in for the verdict. Liston
said afterward that Redway was notified of the finding, but there was no
comment.
The forewoman of the jury, Shirley Lemcke, of Haddam, also largely withheld
comment, saying only, "the verdict was based on the facts given to us."
The teen remains free on $250,000 bail with the conditions that he continue to
attend school and remain in daily contact with the bail commissioner's office.
"A day without a call will be followed with a re-arrest," Middlesex Superior
Court Judge Edward J. Mullarkey said.
Colavito is scheduled to be sentenced in the Middletown court April 13.
"My client to this day regrets it and misses his father," Brown said, referring
to the shooting. "He feels terrible for what has happened.
"In terms of his mother, he feels great remorse for the fact his father died.
He feels sadness for the pain of his mom and sister," Brown said. "Ultimately
all he wants to do is accept this position of the court, live with it and get
on with his life."
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