Thread: Judge bemoans lack of driver ed for illegal who killed man

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegio ... eid=145928

Judge bemoans lack of driver ed for illegal who killed man
By O’Ryan Johnson
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Updated: 01:03 AM EST

A Salem woman whose longtime friend and tenant was killed by an illegal alien driving without a license says she is shocked a judge not only reduced the man’s sentence, but took time to lament the lack of driver’s training for illegals during the sentencing.

Alex Costa, 28, of Peabody pleaded guilty to striking and killing Richard Golin, 49, and was sentenced to nine months. But Judge Robert Cornetta turned him over to immigration agents Monday for deportation to Brazil with only 163 days served.

Cornetta reportedly used the occasion to decry the fact that illegal immigrants don’t have access to driver training, saying it raised public policy concerns.

“What we will never know is whether Mr. Costa had some kind of driver training, if perhaps this tragedy would never have occurred,” the judge said, according to the Salem News. He could not be reached last night.

Mullen, 68, who took in Golin as a boarder 20 years ago, was outraged over Cornetta’s comments.

“He’s not even supposed to be in this country,” an exasperated Mullen said about Costa.

She said Golin was a beloved neighborhood figure. “My mother lived to be 106 and a half and she loved Richie. He used to say ‘Hi Girdie,’ and she’d say ‘Hi Richie.’ She never forgot his name.”

Cornetta reportedly used the occasion to decry the fact that illegal immigrants don’t have access to driver training, saying it raised public policy concerns.

And it wouldn't have happened if he was not illegally in this country.
This judge is a real jack donkey and has no business being a judge.
Is he related to Chappy Kennedy?

Brian, you're making my head hurt with this stuff.

JUDGE ROBERT CORNETTA
Judge Cornetta teaches District Court Practice and Procedure. He received his B.A. from Suffolk University and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. email: Harayda@mslaw.edu

EMAIL The Judge

“What we will never know is whether Mr. Costa had some kind of driver training, if perhaps this tragedy would never have occurred,” the judge said

Wrong answer judge. If he had not been in this country to begin with this tragedy, along with many others, would never have occured.

The blood of American citizens is on the hands of almost every law official in this runaway government that we have!

Originally Posted by CountFloyd

Brian, you're making my head hurt with this stuff.

Sorry! Sometimes all the bad news does that to me also.

“What we will never know is whether Mr. Costa had some kind of driver training, if perhaps this tragedy would never have occurred,” the judge said, according to the Salem News. He could not be reached last night.

We may never know the answer to that Mr. Judge, but we do know that if our borders were secured this wouldn't have been an issue! The man died because of our federal governments failure to secure the border. Also, if we were serious about interior enforcement, this may have been prevented.

Brian, you're making my head hurt with this stuff.

You and me both.

The judges statement is so ludicrous I don't even know what to say.

http://www.ecnnews.com

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Driver in fatal crash held

By Julie Manganis
Staff writer


SALEM — The driver charged in Saturday's fatal accident on Canal Street was apparently living under a fake name for months after he was caught illegally entering the country, then released, last spring.

Police now say the man who told them his name was Alex Costa is actually Magno DaCosta, who was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents as he entered the country last April, according to a warrant issued by immigration officials.

DaCosta was booked, fingerprinted and then given a deadline to leave the country and released — just like another illegal and unlicensed Brazilian immigrant arrested last year for running down a Salem police officer at a traffic detail.

But instead of returning to Brazil, DaCosta apparently ended up living on Union Street in Peabody. Despite his illegal status, he held down jobs at two local Dunkin' Donuts shops, including the one on Canal Street in Salem just yards from the crash scene.

DaCosta pleaded not guilty yesterday at his arraignment on vehicular homicide and related charges. Police said he had just left work on Saturday night and was driving down Canal Street with the car windows still fogged up from the heavy rain when he struck Richard Golin, 49, of 29 Hancock St.

Golin suffered severe head trauma and died the following day at Massachusetts General Hospital.

DaCosta immediately stepped forward from the crowd, identifying himself as the driver, and acknowledged that he had no license, Salem Lt. Conrad Prosniewski said. Despite that early cooperation, police are now concerned that DaCosta will flee if released, citing the apparent false name and date of birth he provided. Police said DaCosta may be 25, and not 27, based on information from the FBI.

Salem District Court Judge Robert Cornetta set bail at $35,000 cash. If DaCosta or a friend posts that bail, he would be turned over to immigration officials, who are seeking to deport him.

Lawyer Heather Ramsey said her client is "terribly saddened" by the accident but urged the judge to consider DaCosta's cooperation at the scene.

"These are the actions of a person accepting responsibility," Ramsey said.

Prosniewski said he was still concerned, however, noting that it wasn't until police submitted DaCosta's fingerprints to the FBI that they were able to determine his true identity.

He told the judge that police are looking into DaCosta's employment and whether the "excessive" number of hours he worked at the two shops might have contributed to the accident.

A pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 7. In addition to vehicular homicide, DaCosta is facing charges of driving negligently to endanger, driving at a speed greater than reasonable and driving without a license.

The vehicular homicide charge carries a maximum penalty of 21/2 years in jail. It is likely that after serving any time, DaCosta would face deportation.

Several friends of Golin, including his longtime landlady, showed up in court yesterday. There were also several of DaCosta's friends in court.