Angel Ortiz, a 25-year-old Chicopee man pleaded guilty to drunk driving when he struck and killed 6 year old Kyier Douchette, on September 25, 2009. Kyier was with a friend at the time, and thankfully, the other boy was not hurt. Ortiz’s blood alcohol content was 0.11 when tested at the time of the accident. The legal limit is 0.08.

Disregarding the fact that Mr. Ortiz was legally drunk at the time of the accident, his lawyer used the defense that his client could not see the boys over the hood of his SUV.

Mr. Ortiz was sentenced <strong> up to</strong> 4 years, which means he could be released much sooner. In fact, he could be released in less than 2 years.

Compare this sentence to that of a “rabbit” killer recently sentences in Massachusetts. He received a minimum of 4 years for his depraved actions.

This begs the question; how has the life of a child become cheaper than the lives of rabbits? Some will say that the rabbit killer was a sick person who deliberately acted to torture and kill innocent rabbits. I accept that argument, but would argue that anyone who drinks and then gets behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound missile is acting just as depraved and indifferent. The difference is that the drunk driver is more likely to kill humans and knowing that and choosing to drive anyway makes his crime all the more horrific and inexcusable.

I once again appeal to District Attorneys to stop treating these cases lightly and to consider charging perpetrators that kill with murder under depraved indifference to human life. This tactic would enable prosecutors to seek 25 years to life sentences and send the message to those who drink and drive that we will no longer tolerate the consequence of their behavior without imposing the most severe sentences allowable.

People are sentenced to longer terms for the possession, distribution or use of substances like crack cocaine and they didn’t kill anyone. Our justice system is screwed up and needs an overhaul that begins with voting out D.A.s who negotiate egregious plea deals and who refuse to treat killers as killers simply because they drink. Do you suppose that if you drank before you shot your spouse that you would get a maximum of 4 years for your crime simply because you added alcohol to the sequence of events?

Justice was not served for this child and if there is a point where the dead can rest in peace or suffer from a lack of justice, this dead child’s spirit will never sleep because of the nature of the crime and the callous indifference of the government.