Ben Cope sentenced to two years in prison (Pittsburgh, Erie: live in, legal)

[TechieTransplant]

Ben Cope, who was convicted of killing mother Lisa Styles, as she was out jogging with her children, was sent off to prison for two years. I thought the original sentence was 9 years, which is minimal enough in my mind, but two years? He sobbed like a baby as he was led off. I truly hope he lives a nightmare in prison.

I think of Lisa literally every time I go out to run. Her husband is a very gracious man, I could not or would not act with as much class as he does.

People from Erie always ask if I'm afraid of being shot in the city, and I tell them I worry more about being hit and killed while out running.

[Hopes]

Are you talking about the involuntary manslaughter conviction of the young adult who accidently hit a women with a stroller in Mt Lebo? I'm surprised he got as much as 2 years.

ETA: I just read an article that says 2 years is the max. He'll be out in the minimum is 1 year. I still think that's extreme for involuntary manslaughter.

[SteelCityRising]

Mrs. Cope's widower truly offers so much compassion and forgiveness that he actually provides me with hope that I, too, may be able to get rid of my own grudges someday.

"Following the hearing, Mr. Styles expanded on his feelings."

"We live in a world where we've punished and punished and punished and we've been more vengeful. And it's gotten us nowhere as a society," he said. "He took away a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful person. And it's my duty to carry on that beauty. And part of that beauty is my forgiveness."

Grieving man urges forgiveness to wife's killer

I also agree with Mr. Styles with his outrage over the lack of compassion shown to him by Mr. Cope's family.

"Mr. Styles spent part of his time on the witness stand talking about what he saw as the failure of the Cope family to acknowledge, or take responsibility for, what happened. Had the accident occurred 150 years ago, he said, "the Cope family would be on my doorstep, hat-in-hand, offering an apology. But in this time, I impotently battle through intermediaries, never arriving at any real resolution."

"It is by definition, insult upon injury."

Considering I'm STILL awaiting an apology from the woman who totaled my car back on 09/29 and her husband, both of whom were very nasty to me, accused me of lying, and lied to the police themselves on the night of the accident, I concur that our society's ethical values and sense of moral responsibility have imploded. Whenever I err I try to atone for my missteps; it is a shame so few others similarly embody that virtue.

Additionally, the fact that Mr. Cope was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident doesn't quite make it an "accident" in my eyes, Hopes. If you consciously ingest illegal substances into your system and then choose to get behind the wheel of a large SUV---a killing machine---then you deserve to be punished for that as you KNEW you were endangering the welfare of others by doing so. Since moving to Pittsburgh just about everyone I've met does marijuana and shrugs it off as being "no big deal". What is with the tolerance of drug usage here? I don't get it.

[heartchya]

Thinking of the Styles family today.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Since moving to Pittsburgh just about everyone I've met does marijuana and shrugs it off as being "no big deal". What is with the tolerance of drug usage here? I don't get it.

Look for new friends?

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Are you talking about the involuntary manslaughter conviction of the young adult who accidently hit a women with a stroller in Mt Lebo? I'm surprised he got as much as 2 years.

ETA: I just read an article that says 2 years is the max. He'll be out in the minimum is 1 year. I still think that's extreme for involuntary manslaughter.

So, would you be so "oh well, that's life" if your son was killed? Especially if the actor was known to have been smoking marijuana the night before, and had a record of driving citations?

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by heartchya

Thinking of the Styles family today.

Me too. I think of her every day.

[BrianTH]

I believe the P-G article is misleading, because Cope was found not-guilty on the homicide while driving under the influence count.

Prior thread on this subject:

Jury reaches mixed verdict in Benjamin Cope's Mt. Lebanon fatal accident trial.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

So, would you be so "oh well, that's life" if your son was killed? Especially if the actor was known to have been smoking marijuana the night before, and had a record of driving citations?

I'm not being "oh well, that's life" right now.

I truly believe smoking marijuana the night before is irrelevant. The night before. Geeze.

I can believe a punishment is extreme and still have compassion at the same time.

I'm multidimensional like that.

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Mrs. Cope's widower truly offers so much compassion and forgiveness that he actually provides me with hope that I, too, may be able to get rid of my own grudges someday.

"Following the hearing, Mr. Styles expanded on his feelings."

"We live in a world where we've punished and punished and punished and we've been more vengeful. And it's gotten us nowhere as a society," he said. "He took away a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful person. And it's my duty to carry on that beauty. And part of that beauty is my forgiveness."

Grieving man urges forgiveness to wife's killer

I also agree with Mr. Styles with his outrage over the lack of compassion shown to him by Mr. Cope's family.

"Mr. Styles spent part of his time on the witness stand talking about what he saw as the failure of the Cope family to acknowledge, or take responsibility for, what happened. Had the accident occurred 150 years ago, he said, "the Cope family would be on my doorstep, hat-in-hand, offering an apology. But in this time, I impotently battle through intermediaries, never arriving at any real resolution."

"It is by definition, insult upon injury."

Considering I'm STILL awaiting an apology from the woman who totaled my car back on 09/29 and her husband, both of whom were very nasty to me, accused me of lying, and lied to the police themselves on the night of the accident, I concur that our society's ethical values and sense of moral responsibility have imploded. Whenever I err I try to atone for my missteps; it is a shame so few others similarly embody that virtue.

Additionally, the fact that Mr. Cope was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident doesn't quite make it an "accident" in my eyes, Hopes. If you consciously ingest illegal substances into your system and then choose to get behind the wheel of a large SUV---a killing machine---then you deserve to be punished for that as you KNEW you were endangering the welfare of others by doing so. Since moving to Pittsburgh just about everyone I've met does marijuana and shrugs it off as being "no big deal". What is with the tolerance of drug usage here? I don't get it.

Re-read the trial testimony. He had marijuana in his system at the time, the the prosecution admitted that he was likely not high at the time. This was a major turning point in the case. Pot usually only keeps you buzzed for a few hours, but can stay in you for weeks. Also, I love how you focus only on the legality of the substance. If he had taken to Benadryl before driving you that be OK? There are plenty of legal substances that can negatively effect your response time and judgement as well.