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| Anger As Saudi Royal Gets To Choose Martha's Vineyard Prison |
| 2005-11-17 |
| Boston, 17 Nov. (AKI) - A member of the Saudi royal family found guilty in the US of killing a 37-year-old father - allegedly while drunk - will get just one year in prison under a plea agreement being presented to a Massachusetts court on Thursday. The sentence has angered relatives of victim, Orlando Ramos, particularly as 23-year-old Bader al-Saud will get to choose which prison he serves his sentence in, the Boston Herald reports. "He killed someone and he gets to pick where he wants to go to jail?" the newspaper quoted Paula Caruso, the mother of Ramos' 16-year-old daughter, as saying. "Why? Because he has money he gets to choose?" "It appears the defendant is being given special consideration that your typical Suffolk defendant isn't usually given," said attorney Richard A. Eustis. Al-Saud is reported to have chosen to serve his sentence in the island prison of Dukes County Jail and House of Corrections in the exclusive Martha's Vineyard area. A local newspaper recently described the jail, saying: "If not for the trailers and barbed wire exercise yard in the back, visitors to Edgartown could easily mistake the century-old Dukes County Jail and House of Corrections for one of several inns lining Main Street." The Saudi royal who previously studied philosophy at Suffolk University in Massachusettes, was driving down a road at almost 80 kilometres an hour in a luxury sports utility vehicle in October 2002 when he hit Ramos, whose body landed some 45 metres away, according to the authorities. Police said al-Saud's blood alcohol level was at .12. The legal limit is .08 in the United States. In Saudi Arabia, legal limit for blood alcohol level is .00. He was 19 or 20 at the time of the accident, but police said they found an international driver's licence in his leased BMW X5 giving a false date of birth which put him at 24. After the accident al-Saud was held on a 200,000 dollar bail pending trial, and released after the money was given to him by the Saudi embassy in Washington. Under a tough new drink driving law recently passed in the state of Massachusetts, the mandatory minimum sentence for a driver who kills someone while under the influence of alcohol is now five years rather than one. Suffolk County officials had originally planned to prosecute him for felony homocide, the Boston Herald reports, but their case weakened when al-Saud's lawyers pushed to get hold of Ramos' mental health records. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 I blogged on this prick a few years ago. I had the feeling he was going to get off real light, I wish I woud've been wrong. |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-11-17 14:32 |
| #3 He's not connected enough to get a Diplo Passport, huh? To be honest, I'm amazed he will actually get a year. How much will he serve at the country club? 4 months, 6 months, maybe? The only way there will be any justice in a case like this is if the relatives kill him when he gets out - and get away with it. The one thing that's certain: they won't have to wait long. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-11-17 13:58 |
| #2 Mass pols and Saudi royals. I'll be the goody bag had smoke coming off of it by the time it was over. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-11-17 13:48 |
| #1 A member of the Saudi royal family found guilty in the US of killing a 37-year-old father - allegedly while drunk - will get just one year in prison under a plea agreement being presented to a Massachusetts court on Thursday. Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment. |
| Posted by: Snineper Hupereck1825 2005-11-17 13:43 |