Dear Editor,
Today, we stand at a moral and legal crossroads. A convicted criminal, a man who took the life of Emily Shane with his vehicle, now seeks release. But we must ask ourselves the following important questions. Has justice truly been served? Has the weight of
his crime diminished with time? Have Michael Shane and Ellen Shane, year-old Emily’s parents, forgotten that horrible night?
Let us be clear, this was not a mere accident. This was a reckless act that robbed a family of their child, a community of its safety, and a 13-year-old girl of her future. Her laughter, her dreams, her potential, all cut short in an instant. The anguish of her family is not temporary; It is a searing lifelong pain.
Releasing this murderer undermines the very foundation of justice. What message do we send when the consequences of such a horrific and permanent act can be erased with 15 miniscule years? That a life lost is worth only minimal years behind bars? Does accountability expire?
There is no parole for the pain of the parents who wake up every morning to silence where their daughter’s voice once was. There is no early release from the grief that haunts them. So why should the man responsible for this tragedy be granted freedom?
We must not let sympathy for the convicted outweigh justice for the victim. We must uphold the law, protect our communities, and ensure that those who take lives do not walk free.
Justice demands that we say no. No to diminished accountability. No to forgetting the innocent life that was stolen.
Haylynn Conrad, Malibu