Hockey Game Murder
Everyone should recall at least one bad choice they have made in their lifetime where the risk of things going terribly wrong was very high. Not only after you have made that choice do you realize the extreme risk you have taken and the tragic consequences you would be facing if things had not went your way. Luckily enough, the majority of us walk away, sarcastically saying to ourselves, "WOW! God really loves me today!!" and later learn from our mistakes. However, Thomas Junta did not get the chance to walk away so easily. On January 25, 2002 he was sentenced 6-10 years in prison for accidentally killing Michael Costin during a drill practice of their sons' hockey team.It all started when Junta went to Burbank Ice Rink to pick up his son and his friends from hockey practice. When Junta arrived, a team of 10-year-olds was finishing up practice against an older group of boys who began outscoring them. At that point, the "stick practice", which was supposed to be non-contact, escalated into a fight between the boys. Upon witnessing the violence, Junta got up from his seat to the edge of the rink and asked Costin, who is a goalie and coach, why he didn't stop the violence. "'It's hockey. It's hitting,'" Costin t
Imagine one day waking up not knowing that you will spend most of what's left of your life behind bars, for a crime you had not intended to make. Even though four boys have tragically lost their father, we should not keep two other children from their innocent father. Even members of Costin's family forgave Junta for his innocent mistake. Costin's father, Gus Costin told reporters, "We need to put this behind us. You can imagine what this family is going through. I don't think his kid needs to go to school and be told, 'Your father is a murderer'. I'm not saying he's a saint; he did wrong and he realizes it Proof that Junta had no intention to murder Costin is in video recording directly after the tragic fight. Junta said, "I'm sorry about everything that just happened. I hope the guy is alright." Junta gave that statement before Costin's death was announced. Just like any mistake a human would make, Junta surely regrets making the choice to stoop down to Costin's level. Things went very wrong when Junta made the choice to defend himself. What happened next is not certain for there are two accounts. The defendant's son and other witnesses recall Junta punching Costin three or four times but stopping as soon as Costin stopped attacking him with punches (APBNews.com Editorial). Witness Nancy Blanchard, an employee at Burbank Ice Rink, said she saw the first attack and testified that she did not see any "actual punches being thrown." She also mentioned that the men were "holding on to each other," and Costin was "almost sitting on the floor." On the other hand, a prosecution witness testified that she saw Junta hit Costin 10 to 20 times in the face, neck and shoulders (Poole). Evidence used to determine exactly what happened in the second confrontation was dep
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Approximate Word count = 1197
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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