Two Punished in Man's Death
By Erica Cordova
Journal Staff Writer
Tears rolled down the face of Benjamin Suazo's mother after District Judge
Michael Vigil sentenced one man to probation and another man to a year in
the county jail in connection with the man's death.
"That's all my son's life was worth?" asked Eleanor "Sadie" Ocana as she
left the courtroom with several other family members. "It's like he never
existed for these people, but he did exist, he did. His life was worth a
lot more."
Joshua Burgess, 24, will spend one year
in jail and faces five years of probation thereafter on charges of
aggravated battery in connection with the beating of the 32-year-old
outside of the Silva Lanes Bowling Alley in October
2005.
Suazo was alive when the SUV in which Burgess
and three other men were riding ran over his abdomen as he lay
semiconscious in the parking lot, witnesses testified at a preliminary
hearing.
Vigil sentenced Andrew Long, 22, to five
years of probation in the crime Thursday. Long told the Suazo family in
court that he was sorry for the pain caused by the
incident.
"I've made a vow to change my life in
society. I understand that I have a higher power and that's what is in
control of my life," Long said. "I'm very sorry about what
happened."
Vigil said he was lenient in sentencing
Long because he showed remorse for the act from the
beginning.
"During all of the hearings you have
cried. You have shown more remorse than any of the four other defendants,"
Vigil said.
Long and Burgess are two of four men
charged on the Oct. 20, 2005, death of Suazo. The other two defendants,
James Combs and Jason Furden, were acquitted by a jury in July on charges
of second-degree murder in the case.
Vigil told the
victim's family that alcohol contributed to Suazo's
death.
"Mr. Suazo was incredibly intoxicated that
evening, (but) that doesn't mean he deserved to die," Vigil said. "I think
the lesson everyone has to learn from this is the abuse of alcohol is
going to end in tragedy."
Experts at previous
hearing testified that Suazo was killed when the rear right wheel of the
SUV, driven by Furden, ran over him. All four men were in that vehicle at
the time, according to reports.
Kathie Nelson, the
mother of Suazo's 13-year-old son, Joey, said the boy has been placed in a
children's home and suffers from depression because of his father's
death.
"Joey does not sleep at night. He is very
haunted. You have taken the person he looked to for guidance," Nelson
said, speaking to the defendants at Thursday's sentencing
hearing.
Diane Cervantes, who has a son with Suazo,
said she was disappointed with the sentencing and with Vigil's request
that the two mothers explain to their children that alcohol was a
contributing factor to Suazo's death.
"Judge Vigil
in there said maybe our kids will learn from this experience," Cervantes
said. "But maybe too they'll learn from the bad example the state is
setting."
