as my blog mentor Tom has taught me, sometimes writing an email can provide an entry to one's blog. today i had occasion to describe how bekah was killed...

on july 19, 2001, bekah was crossing 25th street in san pedro when a hard-core drunk 53-year-old woman driving too fast on the wrong side of the road without headlights killed her. the woman's nickname is rambo; she has a widespread reputation for being "crazy" and on that night she'd been barhopping. she had been fired from 2 or 3 bars in san pedro and just moments before she killed bekah a witness watched her being dropped off at her car about 3 blocks away...according to the detective she was upset because "getting fired from the bar ruined her reputation," and when her friend dropped her off she said to rambo, "just go straight home and don't be an ass." the woman staggered to her car, fumbled her way in, peeled out of the parking lot so conspicuously that the witness said, aloud, "she's going to hurt someone." within a minute bekah was dead.

the woman took my girl out of her shoes, dragged her body 80-100 feet down the road, tearing bekah's jacket in half, ran over her, and dumped her body in the middle of the street in a pool of blood so big we could still see the stain 6 months later. bekah's head had shattered the windshield directly in front of her face! and a tenant in the apt building heard bekah's last scream...but the woman just kept driving. she went from where she killed bekah, made it up a pitch dark, winding 2-lane road to her house just fine, and went to sleep. one thing i really have trouble with is that this woman slept after she murdered bekah. i cannot even imagine doing what she did, and she could sleep after doing it. the paramedics responded within 3-5 minutes and tried to bring bekah back, but her brains had been separated from her body and so it is best that she died. [if i was the DA i would have charged rambo with mayhem and murder]

the witness back at the bar had memorized part of rambo's license plate and parts of her car [a hubcap and a side mirror, i believe] were left in the street - bekah was killed so violently we never saw her again. when they caught up with her killer 4 to 5 hours had passed and she blew a .11 which means she was plowed, probably about .20, when she killed bekah. to me it is just as relevant to realize that she was pissed off...anyway. the criminal proceedings have been adjudicated and no justice from where i sit: although she was charged with murder, the DA allowed this snake to plead "NO CONTEST" to felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated and felony hit and run, and agreed on a 4-year prison sentence [where 15 was possible], which means she will be out of prison in 2 years. all of this maneuvering was accompanied by spin sessions, misrepresentations and overt lies from the DA.

i wanted to see her put away for the rest of her life. the victim is dead and the victim's loved ones have no choice, no voice but for the venting. Eight of us stood up and tried to give this woman some idea of the devastation she caused, and to persuade the judge that the bargain was unjust. for nothing but the chance to blow off steam. by the time she was sentenced as far as i can tell nobody in that court acted as bekah's advocate, because the DA had jumped to rambo's side. as far as i can tell. i'm sorry, i am still choking on the bitter pill. i'll get it down somehow because losing bekah has been such a blow it is anathema to me to think that any other part of my life or my self would be allowed to be diminished by the barbaric act of a sick woman. she can't have me, or my 3 sons, my grandchildren.

there's more to this story, but i have rambled on long enough. i have written a book since bekah died. writing is my lifeline and has always been, and i am hoping to get it published. i have many causes now and maybe i can persuade just one person to look at the situation from a different perspective. my daughter was murdered and her killer will be out in 2 years. i shudder to think how often this goes on.

i believe that bekah is in a good place and that for her justice was wrapped around her like a blankie when she crossed...i still wonder about what will happen to rambo when she crosses, but it's not my problem to know although at times i can't help guessing.
- posted by barbara @ 4/16/2002 05:09:00 PM