CAMBRIDGE (MA)
Boston Globe
February 16, 2005
Excerpts from statements by the victim (read by a prosecutor) and by his wife and father in Middlesex Superior Court yesterday prior to the sentencing of Paul R. Shanley:
''The day the verdict was read was the beginning of the rest of my life. For the first time in almost three years, I went to bed with a smile from ear to ear. That lasted for several days! . . . I came here to hear you say that Paul Shanley is gonna die in prison. I want him to die in prison, whether it's of natural causes or otherwise. However he dies, I hope it's slow and painful!"
-- Victim
''I live day to day hoping that I will not lose my husband, hoping he will not slip back into the silent sadness he has battled through these past three years. Feb. 11 is a day that changed my life forever. On that day, Paul relived in flashes what Paul Shanley did to him over a decade before. On Jan. 26, 27, 28 in this courtroom, on that stand, he again relived that devastation. . . . Shanley, no words will ever explain my disgust for you. You are a coward who hid behind God. Your robe, nor your wit, nor your charm make you infallible. Sadly, you will probably never face the reality of your disturbed existence. I believe true justice will find you after your time on earth is spent."
-- Victim's wife
Posted by kshaw at February 16, 2005 04:47 AM