Man Charged With Murder In Death Of Angels Pitcher

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/10/andrew-thomas-gallo-charg_n_185789.html

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 22-year-old man was charged with three murder counts and drunken driving Friday in the crash that killed Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others.

Andrew Thomas Gallo ran a red light in his minivan early Thursday and broadsided a car carrying Adenhart and three friends, police said.

"At the time of the crash, Mr. Gallo's blood-alcohol content is estimated to be almost three times the legal limit," Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.

Gallo could receive almost 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges, Rackauckas said.

Adenhart died at a hospital, hours after pitching six scoreless innings in his season debut against Oakland. He was to be remembered before the start of Friday night's Angels game against the Boston Red Sox.

"This Angel and his two friends were too young to be sent to heaven but the defendant selfishly and recklessly (got) behind the wheel after getting drunk. They didn't have a choice. Bad decision, blink of an eye, five lives ended, including the defendant's life is wrecked," Rackauckas said at a news conference.

Gallo will likely be assigned a public defender at his first court appearance, scheduled for Monday.

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"This Angel and his two friends were too young to be sent to heaven."

Is this 'heaven' sh*t really necessary from the DA?

.

People addicted to cars don't comprehend either

The "heaven" bit doesn't really surprise me.

shockingly tragic

I drink and I (obviously) drive. But NEVER at the same time.
My anger isn't because the victims were sports figures. I'd
be just as angry if they had been everyday folks.

The scourge of drunk driving MUST stop! The charge should have
been murder in the first degree. Mandatory life. An example
must be set for idiots who recklessly endanger me, you, and
everyone else on our highways by "having a few" and getting
behind the wheel. If you've never passed an accident site
and glanced at a State Trooper pulling a dead kid out of a
mangled hunk of metal that was once the family car, you may
not understand my anger. In my line of work, I see it all too
often.

As I said, I enjoy a drink fairly regularly. Nothing wrong with
that. But I will NEVER operate any motor vehicle after even one.
And I follow the advice of airline pilots: "24 hours from bottle
to throttle". If only all motorists would do the same.

...He was sentenced to two days in jail, three years of probation, a $1,374 fine and a four-month alcohol treatment program...He...received credit for time served. A judge also restricted his driving privileges for three months...

The district attorney, however, said Gallo's license had been suspended since 2006...Court records show Gallo violated some terms of his probation, causing it to be extended by a year, to 2010.

That explains why he hit and run--he had no business driving in the first place. And were his fellow passengers so much drunker that THEY couldn't drive?

:(
rocktivity

Only 22 and he's already ruined his life by ending the lives of others either his age or even younger. The fact that one of them happened to be a major-league pitcher is beside the point.

When are people going to learn?