Pretty Plea
First comes love, then comes marriage.
Then comes Mia with a baby carriage.
However, sad to say, the family values ditty doesn't always work as planned.
And when things go awry, life can hold horrible consequences. This was the case with Mia Sardella, the Drexel University Freshman who was charged with killing her newborn son after his birth. See Momma Mia. After a preliminary hearing last month, she was held for trial on charges of homicide, involuntary and voluntary manslaughter charges as well as abuse of a corpse. The Witness.
With all of this, the ditty is of necessity modified.
First comes the charges, then they're less.
And the next step will be the plea quietly arranged.
The Inky reports today, in the latest installment on this sad story, Reduced charges for alleged baby killer:
Charges of first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter against the Drexel Hill teenager accused of killing her newborn child and putting the corpse in the trunk of her car were withdrawn yesterday by the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.Mia Sardella, 19, still faces trial on charges of third-degree murder and related offenses in the death of the baby boy. The teen's mother found the corpse Jan. 22, about three weeks following birth, stuffed inside a duffel bag left in the trunk of Sardella's Volkswagen Beetle.
According to a court source, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office has filed a document in Common Pleas Court saying the more-serious charges were dropped after an extensive review of the forensic evidence and consultation with medical experts found insufficient evidence existed to support them. The official asked not to be identified because of a judge's gag order that prohibits lawyers and police involved in the case from talking to reporters.
* * * *
The case has generated considerable publicity in part because Sardella is the granddaughter of Albert E. Piscopo, chief executive of the Glenmede Trust Co., an investment firm that manages the assets of the Pew Charitable Trusts and other high-end clients.
Delaware County Medical Examiner Frederic N. Hellman, who has declared that the baby was born alive and viable, has ruled the infant's death a homicide due to asphyxiation by another.
Following a Sept. 28 preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Kelly A. Micozzie-Aguirre, Sardella was ordered to stand trial on 11 charges, including first-degree murder and abuse of corpse.
The judge had rejected lead defense attorney Arthur T. Donato Jr.'s contention that there was insufficient evidence to move the case forward.
So what's left? 3rd degree manslaughter and "related charges." And what are the chances that Sardella will end up going to trial or serving time in this case based upon the reduced charges? While pondering the odds, think about this: Of course, politics would never enter into the equation in Republican Delaware County, when dealing with the granddaughter of the CEO of Glenmede Trust.
This brings me back to my original post on this case, which focused on the delays in charges being brought. See Different Strokes for Different Folks. Special treatment still seems to be the order of the day with the way this case is being handled from start to finish. Compare this, for example, with the 17 year old Georgia teen who served 2 years (out of a ten year sentence) for consensual sex with a 15 year old. Georgia Court Frees Man in Teen Sex Case.
As much as I decry that disparity in treatment, as I said in The Witness, in the end I still want to maintain a modicum of mercy towards Sardella. So the end result may not be something that I would object to. I guess I just wish that mercy would be shown to those who may not be as privileged as she. All too often, that's what's lacking -- from those who are fortunate enough to receive it themselves.
1 comment:
I have been following this story very closely. The action that has taken place is attrocious. There is no reason to end an innocent baby's life. If I am not mistaken, there is a law in Pennsylvania that one can take a baby to a hospital, church, or police station no questions asked. Also, how is it that she didn't know she was pregnant? So the growing stomach, morning sickness, no menstruation for nine months, and REALLY REALLY horrible stomach pains right before the birth weren't much of a clue? Honestly, is that even possible. I knew her growing up, she's not THAT dense. She had to have known what she was doing. She is sly that one. Wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. HOWEVER...
While, I do think that this is beyond horrible, I also think that she and her family need prayers. While we never had the best of relationships, we have laughed together and she made some sort of impact, whether positive or negative, on my life. I pray that she is shown some mercy, but I also pray for justice for that poor baby who never even had a chance.
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