Cyclist Murdered In Hit And Run, Police Still Looking For The Murderer

Rick Archer was hit around 3:30 a.m on April 30th in the Backbay, he has since died from his injuries.  The driver fled the scene.

They think they might have found the car, but are still looking for the driver.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (617)343-4470.  Or go here for more contact details.

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Drunk Driving Murderer Only Gets 18 Months In Jail

Drunk driving murderer Michael Ahern of Dorchester was sentenced to 18 months in jail for killing bicyclist Doan Bui.

It was a miracle that he was even found guilty in the first place, as most of the time when people use their car to murder people they get away with it,  but this sentencing is insultingly short.

From UHUB:

Prosecutors had asked for six to eight years in a state prison, because evidence showed that not only was Ahern going 20 mph above the speed limit, he had spent a good part of the evening before the crash drinking – in part at a bar he co-owned – and had a lengthy record of driving infractions that included 12 license suspensions.

Judge Christopher Muse sentenced Ahern to 2 1/2 years in a county jail, but with 12 months suspended for six years, during which Ahern must undergo an alcoholism screen, take any treatment that is recommended by that, perform 500 hours of community service and not drive.

In a statement, DA Dan Conley said:

Doan Bui did nothing wrong but ride his bike along the same route this defendant used after drinking all night. As a result of this defendant’s choices to drink and drive, the Bui family lost a father, a husband, and a source of emotional and financial support.

I would really like to know why the judge felt it was alright to take the recommended sentencing and reduce it so drastically.  Drunk driving is a crime, cycling is not, murder is a crime, cycling is not.  For justice to be served this person needs to never drive again, and spend a good period of their life deprived of liberty.

But that is just how I feel about it.  Amazingly, and in a sign that perhaps humanity is not doomed, the family of the murder victim, actually urged the judge to be merciful on the murderer.

From The Boston Globe:

Accompanied by a Vietnamese language interpreter, Bui’s wife was silent in the courtroom as her lawyer told the judge that she and her children knew a long prison sentence for Ahern would not bring back her husband and their father.

Thuy Huynh, the victim’s wife, had asked for her lawyer, Andrew Barrett, to speak on her behalf.

“She doesn’t think any more damage should be done to anyone else,” Barrett said. “She has expressed, for the lack of a better word, forgiveness, and doesn’t see any advantage to any lengthy sentencing imposed on the defendant.”

Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Muse also heard statements from the victim’s 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son that were read by the assistant district attorney.

“If I had a wish, I hope my dad would belong with us and drunks do not drive any more in order to not injure anyone else,” wrote Thao Bui, the victim’s daughter.

She and her brother, Diamond Bui, wrote that after their father’s death, they do not want to leave the house. They also described a hardworking father who took care of his family.

His daughter wrote that Bui had often helped his wife study English and practice driving. His son said they would explore the outdoors together during the summer.

“We and my mom miss him very much,” wrote Diamond Bui.

I hope Ahern never drives again, and spends the rest of his life soberly contemplating the carnage he has caused his fellow human beings.

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How To Get Away With Murder, Grand Jury Doesn’t Charge Driver In Hit And Run Case

They say if you want to kill someone wait until they get onto a bicycle.  In a tragic state of affairs a Suffolk grand jury has decided that running someone over with a truck and then leaving the scene caries with it no consequences, if that person is riding a bicycle.

A Suffolk County grand jury declined to press charges against a garbage truck driver who struck and killed a bicyclist on Sullivan Square in April, according to The Boston Globe.

Police had initially charged Ricky Prezioso, 41, with leaving the scene of a crash after he struck and killed Owen McGrory, 34, on April 3. At the time, Prezioso said he never felt the impact of the collision. Last week the grand jury declined to press the charge further. (via)

What the fuck…shouldn’t you at least be charged with poor driving, if what you say is true YOU DIDN’T NOTICE YOU RAN SOMEONE OVER!

This is the second time someone has run over a cyclist in broad daylight drove off and not gotten any charges, the same thing happened to a Dana McCoomb in Wesllesley.

The real reason I think these things happen is not that the police and prosecutors are not trying hard enough, its that most of the people on the jury drive cars. They all see themselves sitting accused of the same thing. They looked at their phone, or was not paying attention, but for the grace of luck they could be the one who ran someone over without noticing. So they let these people walk because they don’t think its a serious thing, they think it’s an “accident.”

It’s not an accident, its the same as shooting someone “by accident” you are in control of a deadly object, a huge powerful vehicle, and any lack of concentration on your part can and will result in the deaths of other people. Its just that guns by their design are killing machines so responsible people handle them with care. Cars are no less deadly, in fact they kill far more people than guns. (roughly 12,000 gun deaths in 2013, vs 30,000+ car deaths).

Prezioso should have been charged with something, you can not run someone down, and then leave the scene and not have broken SOME law. The members of this grand jury should all have to look Owen McGrory‘s family in the eye and explain to them why they felt no laws were broken. I assure you had McGory been driving a car and been killed by a guy in a truck that truck driver would have gotten charged with something.

For McGrory’s family, explanations are hard to come by.

“My mother — she doesn’t want to face it,” said John McGrory. “When I phone her, she keeps talking about the weather.”

John McGrory described his brother as popular both in Boston and his native Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

“He was such a likable, down-to-earth sort of lad,” said McGrory, who had visited his brother in November. Owen McGrory married his wife, Shannique, in December, and lived in Chelsea with Shannique and her son. He worked in construction and had been an avid bicyclist since childhood.

Shannique McGrory said in an e-mail that her husband was fun-loving and playful and cared deeply for her children.

“I am shocked and disappointed at the grand jury’s decision, but I believe that the truth of what happened that day will come out through the civil justice system,” she said.

“We believe that there is overwhelming evidence of gross negligence on the part of the truck driver in this case,” said Valerie Yarashus, a lawyer representing the McGrory family in the civil suit.

Prezioso and Capitol Waste Services did not respond to requests for comment.(via)

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