Amy Stack due to be released early
Nearly two years ago, Robin Jensen, a 17-year-old Corvallis student, lifeguard and all-around high-achiever, was riding her bike home to Lewisburg when she was struck down by a vehicle and left for dead by the side of the road. She died from her injuries later that night.
Three days later, OSU grad student Amy Stack was arrested for her involvement in the hit and run on Miss Jensen. She went home after the accident, ordered a pizza, called her parents the next day and said she had hit someone and begged them to come to Corvallis. Her parents arrived from Oklahoma two days later. They waited an additional day, hired an attorney, and finally called the police.
Circumstantial evidence related to claims that Stack was drunk were not permitted as evidence during the trial, despite the fact that she had previously been convicted of driving under the influence. Because of this, she was charged only with failure to perform the duties of a driver, with a maximum sentence of 36 months.
Amy Stack's parents paid an "expert" $15,000 to testify that the accident was the fault of the victim, saying that she swerved into the car and caused her own death. Even after the judge explained that fault was not an issue, since Stack was being charged for leaving the accident, not causing it, Stack's attorneys never varied from this tactic. Ms. Stack never showed a bit of remorse; she never apologized, never even claimed responsibility. Even after her conviction was handed down, she and her family were only concerned with what would happen to her. They asked that she be permitted to pay a fine and avoid jail time entirely.
The judge sentenced Ms. Stack to two years in prison. However, a mere eight months later, this coming August 1st, Amy Stack will be released from jail. She will need to remain in the area for an additional 90 days, then will basically be free.
I am often accused by some friends of being a typical soft-on-crime liberal. I think "3 strikes" laws are abhorrent, am completely against capital punishment, and think mandatory minimums remove too much discretionary power from the judiciary. But this is absurd. Apparently, Robin Jensen's life was only worth 8 months in a minimum level institution. What a damned shame.
Three days later, OSU grad student Amy Stack was arrested for her involvement in the hit and run on Miss Jensen. She went home after the accident, ordered a pizza, called her parents the next day and said she had hit someone and begged them to come to Corvallis. Her parents arrived from Oklahoma two days later. They waited an additional day, hired an attorney, and finally called the police.
Circumstantial evidence related to claims that Stack was drunk were not permitted as evidence during the trial, despite the fact that she had previously been convicted of driving under the influence. Because of this, she was charged only with failure to perform the duties of a driver, with a maximum sentence of 36 months.
Amy Stack's parents paid an "expert" $15,000 to testify that the accident was the fault of the victim, saying that she swerved into the car and caused her own death. Even after the judge explained that fault was not an issue, since Stack was being charged for leaving the accident, not causing it, Stack's attorneys never varied from this tactic. Ms. Stack never showed a bit of remorse; she never apologized, never even claimed responsibility. Even after her conviction was handed down, she and her family were only concerned with what would happen to her. They asked that she be permitted to pay a fine and avoid jail time entirely.
The judge sentenced Ms. Stack to two years in prison. However, a mere eight months later, this coming August 1st, Amy Stack will be released from jail. She will need to remain in the area for an additional 90 days, then will basically be free.
I am often accused by some friends of being a typical soft-on-crime liberal. I think "3 strikes" laws are abhorrent, am completely against capital punishment, and think mandatory minimums remove too much discretionary power from the judiciary. But this is absurd. Apparently, Robin Jensen's life was only worth 8 months in a minimum level institution. What a damned shame.
posted by Corvallist at
6:53 PM
7 Comments:
You're absolutely right on all counts:
•"Three Strikes" laws create as many problems as they solve.
•Capital punishment wrong. Period.
•"Mandatory minimums" take too much appropriate power away from judges
•The punishment given Amy Stack in no way whatsoever fit the crime.
Especially given the behavior of the perpetrator and the response of her family, I can't recall when last I've heard of more selfish, cold-hearted, self-serving behavior.
If I were a memeber of Robin's family, I'd be enraged.
And, ironically, it's the actions and behavior of people such as Amy Stack and her family that seem to bring about calls for "Three Strikes" laws and mandatory minimums.
By
Samuel John Klein, at 2:27 AM
A heart-wrenching tragedy - for both families. Amy Stack's actions were indeed immature, like a little kid that breaks a vase and tries to hide the evidence. Only the victim life wasn't a vase, and Ms. Stack isn't a little kid. Stupid, immature, likely drunk at the time, and guilty for life. However, she didn't set out to kill someone. She likely was drunk (negligent), and should have gone back to help the victim - which may have saved Robin's life. Stacks gets a well deserved life of guilt, but little benefit would have come out of locking her up forever.
By
Anonymous, at 1:36 PM
I don't think Stack feels any guilt. You hit a person and order a pizza? her concerns were for herself. She was going to become a counselor or social worker. She doesn't seem to have a visible heart or soul, seems to be narcisistic, has parents who apparently buy her way out of trouble or try to. All this I think makes her dangerous.
By
Anonymous, at 7:52 PM
Yeah, this doesn't sound just. And if Ms. Stack does have an ongoing alcohol problem, this won't be the last time she proves dangerous to society.
When death occurs, even inadvertently, sentence reductions via parole should never exceed 25%. In this case, she got a 67% reduction, That's absurd.
By
Anonymous, at 2:54 PM
I have to say that other than the day Robin, my cousin, was killed by this woman, this has been a very difficult day for me. I can't speak for the rest of my family and I won't. I am ashamed of our judicial system. I am ashamed of the buerocratic bull shit that happens right under our noses and as we numbly turn the other way and let a guilty person walk away with a slap on the wrist. Today, I spoke with my aunt and cousin and realize that their lives and our families lives will never be the same. I know everyone keeps telling us that she will get her judgement in the end, but that doesn't fill the void we now have in our hearts where Robin should be. I wish that Amy Stack could have met Robin. I would hope that maybe by meeting Robin, Amy Stack would have chosen to make better, sound decisions before getting behind the wheel that night. Only God knows why all this has happened to our family. I will leave it to that.
By
Anonymous, at 5:16 PM
Wow, I've never seen so many one sided comments. Not one person that made a comment here was at the trail but yet they all believe what their paper says. First of all when Amy saw that someone had died she called her parents and her parents flew up the next day, not 2 days later. Then that day she, her parents and an attorney went into the police department and turned herself in. The cops didn't have a clue on who did it, it was Amy who agreed to let the officers investigate her house and car.
Second, about the $15,000 spent for experts. The paper wants you to believe that this is an unusual amount but the district attorneys office, for this county, has hired the same expert many times before, all with the same fee. It's really sad how one editor can influence so many minds. I just hope one day each individual will come to their own conclusions and not listen to a basis opinion.
By
noden, at 9:32 PM
Actually she was drunk, fled the scene to avoid more serious prosecution, and is such a psychopath that she dripped marinara sauce on the vehicle while eating a pizza that night. Yep that is right she was checking out the damage along with the human hair and bodily fluids on her car while munching on some pizza. Amy Stack turns my stomach, she is a perfect example of why injury hit and run needs to have a higher penalty that DUI homicide. Otherwise the law encourages people like her to leave victims to die in a ditch, which is exactly what she did.
By
Anonymous, at 3:49 PM
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