Inmate feels 3 years is too much for drunk driving death....

[YellowRubberDuckie]

A few years ago, a friend of ours was killed in a car crash, when a drunk driver hit her head on. The idiot had went to a bar that night, got knee walking drunk, then got into his truck, failed to turn on his lights, and got onto the highway going the wrong way. A few minutes later, he killed my friend Krystle. There were three other people in the car who will live with the scars of that accident for the rest of their lives. They were all nearly killed, but they survived, barely.
Now, after serving a year and a half of his sentence, Randall G. Albright III, who is now 24, feels that the 11 year sentence, 8 of which were suspended, is too much to serve. He thinks that since he's been a model prisoner, he deserves to get out. He's never taken responsibility for his actions in the incident. Also, he is appealing to Oklahoma State University so he can get back into vet school, even though you can't be a vet if you have a felony conviction. He feels that he only had a year left, and well, he has to pay back those student loans, even though he never finished his degree. He thinks he's being percecuted.

If you want to read about this story, you can find it at http://newsok.com/article/1431108/?template=news/main#

[ffm172]

1. why does he

only has to serve 3 instead of the 11 years?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. No idea. Judge suspended them.

:shrug: We wondered the same thing at the time he was sentenced.
Duckie

[ffm172]

4. 3 years for killing someone

isn't enough at all. I don't believe in death sentence but longer than 3 years definitely

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

25. More important -- can he DRIVE again?

Tell me he's not going to get a license ever again. Me, I'd forbid him to even pronouncing the word "car".

[YellowRubberDuckie]

27. I'm not clear on that part of the law.

Anyone know?
Duckie

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

31. If you ask me, it's better to

lock him for three years and forbid him to ever driving again, than it is to lock for fifteen years and allow him to get a license when he gets out.

Don't you take gun rights away from ex-felons? Same thing.

[Runcible Spoon]

36. agreed. my biggest problem with the judicial system is...

it can't decide whether it's retributive of rehabilitative. If retributive, well, you can't really make a sentence that is equivalent to a life, besides the death penalty which I oppose for a multitude of reasons. If it's rehabilitative, then why are licenses reinstated? I personally think that considering recidivism is the most important factor. Let him serve the 3 years and never drive again. I agree that it is heinous that he has no remorse.

[7th_Sephiroth]

38. Randall G. Albright III

fancy name, prrobably some rich fuck who's daddy has lots of connections

[jody]

3. He should be serving the same sentence as his victim. n/t

[Deja Q]

34. I wonder what Laura Bush would say to your comment there...

[murielm99]

5. This sounds so similar to what happened to my brother.

The drunk who hit him head-on was driving a pickup the wrong way on a four lane highway, after dark, with no headlights.

His best friend was killed. My brother spend three years in rehab. The drunk walked. There were no implied consent laws in Illinois at the time of the accident.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

16. That is the exact thing that happened to the passenger of the car!

I almost said, do you live in Oklahoma?!
Duckie

[Demit]

6. Sounds exactly like a certain president: rules are for other people.

Consequences, responsibility--that's for the little folk. Not for the special ones who just want to go on with their lives. How despicable. I'm sorry about your friend.

[trotsky]

7. Drunk drivers should be subject to the same punishment...

as if they had taken a gun, loaded it, and gone out with the intention to shoot & kill someone.

It is a disgrace that one can take a life through a conscious act and serve such a pittance of jail time.

[Dez]

8. Not enough time

A kid in Alabama is facing 15 years for selling some cannabis to an undercover cop. And he didn't kill anybody!

[redqueen]

18. Well see, they gotta make room for the pot sellers,

so they gotta move the drunk driving murderers and rapists out faster.

:crazy:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

20. Welcome to the Republican State.

We have so many people clogging up our jails and prison for Marijauna use, but we can't keep someone in jail for killing someone or raping or whatever? It's sick.
Duckie

[blondeatlast]

10. I agree. I have an acquaintance who does this even after having his

license suspended.

I KNOW he will kill or maim someone someday.

It's a premditated crime. You can't possibly NOT know the consequences.

[RebelOne]

9. I have had two family members killed by drunk drivers.

One of them was an off-duty police officer and he didn't do any time.
The other only received a one-year sentence.

In my opinion, a drunk driver who kills someone should be sentenced to life.

[blondeatlast]

11. Agreed. It's premeditated.

People go to prison longer for drug possession.

What a sick set of values we have.

[RebelOne]

43. Oh, I forgot to mention that the driver who received the one-year

sentence had a work release, which meant that he was able to work and return to jail at night and weekends. What kind of a sentence is that?

[amber dog democrat]

12. He needs to think about it.

I'd keep him incacerated until he feels genuine remorse - and accepts responsibility for his actions. So does he think he was framed ?

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. That fucker has no right to complain. What a fuckin' whiner.

Asshole should be in prison for 30 years, and never ever be able to get a license again. And if he's ever caught driving without his license, he goes back to prison for the rest of his life.

And let's make this kind of a lottery thing - let's start filling up our jails with actual criminals, like this worthless shitbag and Ken Lay, and every time one of these real criminals pops into prison, one of the poor kids doing 30 years for looking at a bag of cocaine get bounced out and set free.

Drunk driving should be a no tolerance felony - it should be an automatic attempted murder charge, and automatic revocation of license for the rest of your life with no chance to get it back unless you do years of therapy. And if they end up killing or maiming someone, it should be whatever the worst form of murder charge is - manslaughter? I don't know legal terms.

[lonestarnot]

14. If you can't do the time, DON'T DO THE CRIME! n/t

[all.of.me]

15. no remorse.

sheesh. what a shame. get that boy some counseling! and rehab! i am so sorry for you and your friend's family. the grief never ends when stuff like this happens.

[MissMillie]

17. He really believes

that 18 months is jail is enough of a consequence for KILLING SOMEONE???

He needs to have his head examined.

[rbnyc]

19. While I tend to believe in rehabilitation vs. punishment....

...obviously this guy does not understand the seriousness of what he did. He should rot. He should have a few years added to his sentence for complaining. His sentence was too short to begin with. This really makes me mad.

[Padraig18]

21. Randall G. Albright III can kiss my Irish ass

Randall G. Albright III should serve all 11 years, IMO. What a fuckin' whiner!

:argh:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

24. Hope all is well, Paddy.

:hi:

[Padraig18]

40. Thanks!

I'm recovering nicely, darlin'.

:pals:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

42. Recovering?!

I had taken a break from this place. What happened!?
Duckie

[Behind the Aegis]

22. So sorry for your loss and pain

I live in OK...used to live in Stillwater. I didn't recognize your friend's name, but I did recognize the killer's name. I had no idea that OK's drunk driving laws were so weak. Just one more thing to make me call this place...OKLA-HELL-MA!

Here is my thought about sentencing. A person should serve as long as the average person would live. So, suppose the average life span is 75 years for a woman, and the killer kills a 20yo female. Then his minimum sentence should be 55 years behind bars, plus 20 years. (The rule should include a mandatory 20 year sentence.) I know it sounds if I don't respect older people and that is untrue. However, they got to live a good part of their life. I know this proposal is somewhat short-sighted, but I am just angry that someone could get almost NO time for taking another's life in a non-self defense death.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

23. Sounds like a good idea, actually.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

28. Eeek

Sorry. Sounds too much like "person X is worth more than person Y."

[Behind the Aegis]

37. yeah

That is the real problem with it. But three years for ANY non-defense homicide is too little!

[WI_DEM]

26. I hope he doesn't weasel out of the rest of his term and I hope

that the authorities don't allow him back to Vet school.

[dean_dem]

29. Its slap-on-the-wrists like that that make drunk driving so commonplace.

Really, think about if you're driving on a Friday or Saturday night, how many people on the road with you are way to intoxicated to be driving. It's scary to think about.

Seems like that guy already made his decision when he got behind the wheel, so now he has to live with the consequences of his actions, no matter how young he is. I'm sure your friend had a full life she had to leave behind as well. The difference is that Albright had a choice.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

30. Update: The idiot judge bought it.

The second half of his sentence has been commuted to work release and electronic monitoring. http://www.newsok.com/article/1431915/
Goddammit, what is this fucking world coming to?!
Duckie

[Runcible Spoon]

32. I agree that if he has no remorse, he needs to do more time BUT....

every situation is different. My friend is serving 1 1/3 years for 2nd degree vehicular manslaughter. He was out with friends, who were drinking. They all went to a cafe to sober up, and it was decided who was sober enough to drive. My friend was speeding, nobody knows how fast. He crashed and both passengers died. The cops made him identify the mangled bodies at the scene. He ID's one by the logo on his jacket since his face was gone. My friend's blood alcohol level was.08. I guarantee you you do not feel drunk at that level. Over the next few months he suffered anxiety attacks, nightmares, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, wondering why God/fate let him live when he should have died with them. I truly believe a 22 year old boy should not have his life ruined for one mistake, even though it cost his friends their lives. I know in my heart that his friends wouldn't have wanted that. All of them did reckless things all the time and this time they weren't lucky. He doesn't think he will ever be able to drive again, and I support that. He wants to go to grad school and make his life, which was for some reason spared, worth something. He thinks that if he squanders his life, it would shame his dead friends. He lives every day thinking of them. He is a different person today. He could be locked up for life but the memory of that night will haunt and punish him more than any prison. I try not to blame him for killing his friends. I tell him that he made bad choices that resulted in their deaths, but he did not kill them. They were my friends too, one of them was my roommate and my sister's boyfriend. This analogy that this situation is like loading a gun and shooting someone is ridiculous. He would give his life if it would bring them back. But it can't. What is the sense of ruining more lives? I'm bracing myself for posters' anger but I've heard every perspective and the truth is even most if the victims' friends and even some of the family have forgiven him. They just mourn the senselessness but they do not call for his head. So I don't expect sympathy from DU, though it would be nice to see people address the social pressures that lead to such tragedy as opposed to seeking blood on the surface level. Flame my sad self away if you must.

**edited for clarity; hard to summarize this....it's the first time I've spoken about it to people other than friends and family....

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

33. I believe irresponsible drivers are only dangerous when behind a wheel

Therefore the most important thing is not letting them drive again. OK, if they ARE found driving when barred from, DO throw them in the slammer, even if they're going 10 mph.

[Runcible Spoon]

35. I agree, and so does my friend.

He won't ever be behind the wheel again, though ironically he will get his license back eventually.

[American Tragedy]

39. No fucking excuse. He should also permanently lose his license.

I don't buy the notion that being under the influence of drugs somehow mitigates guilt. Everybody who consumes alcohol does so of their own volition, unless they're in some sort of improbable frameup scenario a la North By Northwest. Furthermore, you generally know how much your body can handle before it's affected. In my case, one shot of liquor has a discernable impact on my perception, motor skills, coordination (yeah, I know, I'm a total lightweight).

Of course, some people argue that when you drink, your judgment is too clouded for you to recognize that you're not fit to drive. I've escalated through every level of intoxication up to the point of unconsciousness, but I was always aware of my impairment. I mean, it's pretty obvious when you're struggling with walking. The last thing I wanted to do was drive a fucking car.

I don't believe in criminalizing drug use itself, since I see little cause in punishing people for chemically treating their own body. But I have little pity for those who injure or kill others when under the influence.

[Floogeldy]

41. I know of a 19 year old in Oklahoma who did the same thing . . .

. . . only he killed two people, one of them a child. He is serving two life sentences, consecutively, which means after he finishes serving the first one, he starts serving the second one. His convictions were for second degree murder. He probably won't get out of prison until he is an old man.

Many people in this country convicted of first degree murder serve less than 15 years.

[shreck]

44. Chances are

he will end up doing it again, or get a string of DUI's until he kills someone else.
Locally a man killed a kid on a bickle, drunk, and everyone was outraged he had 8 DUI's and a revoked liscense. He didn't care, locking him up and keeping him locked up is the only way, short of putting a bullet in him, to keep him from behind the wheel.