Community Chat

[Marp]

Excerpt from NBCnews.com:

Feb. 25, 2020, 8:59 PM EST

By Doha Madani and Xuan Thai

The grandfather of the 18-month-old who fell to her death from an open window on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will plead guilty to her death, his attorney announced Tuesday.

Salvatore Anello, also known as Sam, initially pleaded not guilty to a negligent homicide charge from Puerto Rican authorities in October for the July death of granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand.

Michael Winkleman, attorney for the Wiegand family, told NBC News Tuesday that the grandfather filed paperwork to change his plea in return for an agreement that included no jail time. Anello, who lives in South Bend, will be able to serve his probation in Indiana, according to the lawyer.

Winkleman said the deal "is in the best interests of the family so that they can close this horrible chapter and turn their focus to mourning Chloe." A hearing date for the change of plea has yet to be determined.

[Kachina624]

That's probably the best possible solution for everyone concerned.

[Pearlee]

It is hard to claim "not guilty" with that video.

[SandySparkles]

Given the facts of this case as they emerged, I believe the plea and verdict is just. It is a riveting story of the unthinkable, but there are no winners here. I have noted on another thread that no amount of prison time will change the fact that this grandfather WILL be "imprisoned" everyday for the rest of his life, whenever he thinks of his precious granddaughter. For this reason, I don't think putting him behind bars is necessary, or will be of much benefit. The mother is in the most difficult of situations because she loves her daughter. Now, the  arduous journey of healing can begin. This sad story still breaks my heart.💔

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

Edited to reflect the thoughtful clarification given to me by another poster regarding the kinship of the family.

[proudlyfromNJ]

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@SandySparkles wrote:

Given the facts of this case as they emerged, I believe the plea and verdict is just. It is a riveting story of the unthinkable, but there are no winners here. I have noted on another thread that no amount of prison time will change the fact that this grandfather WILL be "imprisoned" everyday for the rest of his life, whenever he thinks of his precious granddaughter. The mother is in the most difficult of situations. She loves her daughter, but she loves her father too. Now, the  arduous journey of healing can begin. This sad story still breaks my heart.💔

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

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@SandySparkles  Actually the grandfather is a step grandfather. He is not the mother of the child’s father. Only a step relation to the family.

[Sushismom]

It's my understanding that Anello is the girl's step-grandfather. He's not physically related to either the mother or father of this child.

ETA: Heck, I'm late again.

[SandySparkles]

@proudlyfromNJ  Thank you for that clarification😊. Because this story breaks my heart, I've only read snippets here and there about him being Chloe's grandfather, and was not aware he was not a blood relative. That makes it a little more palatable, but the entire situation is very distressing, and he undoubtedly will still be a "prisoner" in his own mind whenever he thinks of her. Very, very sad.

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

[Linmo]

IMO it shouldn't matter if he was her biological grandfather or her step-grandfather.  It was a tragic accident.  He will blame himself for what happened for the rest of his life.  That's a lot worse than any prison sentence.  I can't imagine what he and the rest of their family has been through!

[Porcelain]

Admitting he was at fault is a first step to returning this public tragedy to a private one, and that is good. I don't think this horrible event ought to have been public. I know the family made it public. But I think that was a big mistake, and I hope this is the beginning of righting that. I hope he means it and continues to take responsibility for what he did. It's almost too much to contemplate, to be responsible for such a thing, from a simple but terrible terrible lapse of judgement and common sense.

[sidsmom]

No jail time?

Wow.

I wonder if he realizes how incredibly lucky he is.

M.A.N.Y people are incarcerated for much, much less. 
Her whole life is reduced to a slap on the hand. SMH