Friday, January 30, 2009
Best Friends Forever
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) — Three women in New Jersey are accused of abandoning a former friend in the woods in 8-degree weather even though she was wearing just a dress and one shoe. North Bergen police say the victim suffered serious frostbite on both feet and may need surgery.
Twenty-two-year-old Maria Contreras-Luciano, 20-year-old Amber Crespo and 21-year-old Dyanne Velasquez face kidnapping, assault and conspiracy charges.
Police say the three were angry that the 19-year-old woman sued a company owned by one of the women.
During the woman's ordeal in a wooded area near the Hudson River, a motorist let her use a cell phone, but refused to give her a ride. Another motorist took her to a hospital and she reported the incident four days later.
There's more to the story. But this is what happens when three nasty, not-very-smart young women act on their stupid fantasies. The cousin of one of the accused has been on the radio rationalizing the matter, as if the act would be excusable if only we were aware of the true causes & motives, like maybe it was about a guy rather than an insurance claim, or the victim is a vindictive type, or that she waited four days to report the incident, or whaddevah.
Sorry, girl, but it doesn't work that way. It's unlikely that a jury is going to care why the young woman was tricked into going for a ride & then abandoned on a deserted road at night where she was minutes from full hypothermia & dying. If she didn't choose to get out of that car in 8 degree weather without a coat, the prosecutor has a pretty good case on the assault charges. That's probably probation. But if one of the alleged kidnappers testifies against the other two (very good chance of that, if they'd do it the victim, they'd do it to each other), the prosecution could get the conspiracy & kidnapping convictions, too. & that feels like jail time. The four day delay could be explained several ways, not least that it took the victim awhile to grasp how much more serious it was than a mean-spirited prank by some former BFF. It went to the edge of tragedy. In other words, it isn't the victim with the legal problems. She has frostbite. Her family will be retaining a lawyer for the civil suit.
Labels: in the news
