Remember Dr. James Corasanti, the prominent New York physician who drove drunk, hit and killed a 18-year-old skateboarder Alix Rice (pictured right), and then drove straight home leaving her dead on the side of the road, deleted text messages from his phone, and allegedly wiped evidence off his car back in July of 2011?
Well, the amazing legal system in Buffalo, New York worked its wonders for the well-connected doctor when, after 13 days of trial the jury “acquitted Corasanti on all felony charges related to the death of the 18-year-old longboard skater,” according to a story in the Buffalo News.
Jurors acquitted Corasanti of second-degree manslaughter, the most serious charge he faced, and second-degree vehicular manslaughter. The jury also acquitted him of two evidence-tampering charges: deleting text messages from his mobile telephone and removing the victim’s blood and body tissue from his car. . . He also was acquitted of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, resulting in death.
What is insane about this entire story is that everyone agrees that the doctor was driving drunk, texting, and that he hit and killed Rice and continued driving home, but the jury apparently believes that Corasanti didn’t know he had hit a person. Apparently, that makes a difference in legal terms. All Corasanti was found guilty of was misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
Rice’s family was obviously blown away by the injustice. All Rice’s mom could say after the verdicts were read was “What the fuck?” The mom’s boyfriend was escorted from the court room for “yelling expletives” at the jury.
Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde, who wrote a column titled Justice Blindsided by Outcome, was equally appalled.:
But the ultimate tragedy, to my mind, is the way this morality play ended: with no justice done. Sedita said he has never, in 24 years as a prosecutor, been as “astonished” by a verdict. . . .”We tried the case as best we could,” said the district attorney. “I am sorry, on behalf of Alix, that she did not get justice.”
Alix Rice’s family is pursuing a civil case against Corasanti, however, all that will do is get insurance money. No story we have linked to has caused us more pain than this. Our thoughts are with Rice’s family and friends and we hope they can eventually find some kind of justice in this completely broken system.
[Link: Buffalo News]
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