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Grandfather sentenced for death of granddaughter

babs135

By babs135,
in Royal Caribbean International

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tinkertwo

tinkertwo

Posted
Posted

That is so sad.  Three years probation SMH.  That child lost her life.

As far as I know the probation will just be staying out of trouble and reporting in to a probation officer or, depending on where he lives, reporting to a police station.  

 

Wonder what ever became of the lawsuits the parents were filing.  

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

Posted
Posted

Statement from Sam Anello regarding today’s sentencing:

 

After this sentencing, I feel a mixture of anger and relief.  Relief that I will serve no jail time and that I did not have to admit any facts.  Relief for my family so that we can close this chapter and move on together. 

I feel angry at Royal Caribbean because it is clear that these windows never should have been allowed to have been opened in the first place.  You can’t go into a single hotel or building anywhere in the United States where windows this high up would be allowed to be opened more than a few inches.  Yet on this cruise ship, Royal Caribbean allowed this window to be opened by anyone, at any time, right next to a kid’s water park. 

I always thought this was a wall of glass.  There was no indication to me that some of the glass panels in this wall of glass could even open.  That is why Royal Caribbean deserves the blame here. 

I decided not to contest these charges, even though I know I committed no crime, because I would not have to admit any facts or suffer any significant penalty.  It was a choice of focusing our resources and deciding the best path to tell Chloe’s story and devote our family’s energy was in the civil case, where we can make a real difference for the safety of the youngest cruise passengers by working to force Royal Caribbean to follow the rules and laws that require windows like this to open no more than a few inches.  If these rules were followed when we were on that ship, Chloe would still be alive today. 

I miss you so much Chloe.

– Sam Anello

 

Truly innocent people want the facts known, Sam. People who refuse to admit that they killed someone try to hide the facts. For over a decade and a half this ship sailed without any idiot passengers dropping someone out of those windows...then came you.

 

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HicksRA

HicksRA

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His biggest punishment will be living the rest of his life knowing he killed an innocent toddler. 
 

His statement doesn’t hold water as they have video of him hanging the child out the window. He knew there was an open window there. 

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HBE4

HBE4

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, tinkertwo said:

Wonder what ever became of the lawsuits the parents were filing.  

 

From CNN: (bold and underline are mine)

 

"According to a statement from Winkleman on Monday, the discovery phase in the family's civil case against Royal Caribbean has been completed and "there is not a single piece of evidence to support the argument that Salvatore Anello was aware the window was open."

 

A court date is set for April, he said.
 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/08/us/cruise-ship-death-grandfather-sentenced/index.html

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tinkertwo

tinkertwo

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3 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

His biggest punishment will be living the rest of his life knowing he killed an innocent toddler. 
 

His statement doesn’t hold water as they have video of him hanging the child out the window. He knew there was an open window there. 

I want to disagree with this statement.  He has to feel the guilt, accept it, before it will be a punishment to him.  From what he has written in his statement he seems to still want people to fault RCL and not him.  

 

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lovescats5

lovescats5

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I have looked at the windows of every ship we have been on and you can clearly tell which windows are open and which are not.  I cannot believe, and yet I can, that someone his age and with what he had done that he will not take responsibility for what he had done.  No wonder the younger generation are the way they are.  We have given up making people accept responsibility for what they do.

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njkruzer

njkruzer

Posted
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Despite what the attorney said we all saw pictures of him sticking his head out the window.   And those of who have been on that class 8f ships know that you can tell when the windows are open.  They are tinted.  And many tall buildings in the US have windows that open despite what the grandfather says.  

 

Also the window in question is not low enough for a child to access.  Only with the aid of an adult could this have happened. 

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dahirsh

dahirsh

Posted
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1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Statement from Sam Anello regarding today’s sentencing:

 

After this sentencing, I feel a mixture of anger and relief.  Relief that I will serve no jail time and that I did not have to admit any facts.  Relief for my family so that we can close this chapter and move on together. 

I feel angry at Royal Caribbean because it is clear that these windows never should have been allowed to have been opened in the first place.  You can’t go into a single hotel or building anywhere in the United States where windows this high up would be allowed to be opened more than a few inches.  Yet on this cruise ship, Royal Caribbean allowed this window to be opened by anyone, at any time, right next to a kid’s water park. 

I always thought this was a wall of glass.  There was no indication to me that some of the glass panels in this wall of glass could even open.  That is why Royal Caribbean deserves the blame here. 

I decided not to contest these charges, even though I know I committed no crime, because I would not have to admit any facts or suffer any significant penalty.  It was a choice of focusing our resources and deciding the best path to tell Chloe’s story and devote our family’s energy was in the civil case, where we can make a real difference for the safety of the youngest cruise passengers by working to force Royal Caribbean to follow the rules and laws that require windows like this to open no more than a few inches.  If these rules were followed when we were on that ship, Chloe would still be alive today. 

I miss you so much Chloe.

– Sam Anello

 

Truly innocent people want the facts known, Sam. People who refuse to admit that they killed someone try to hide the facts. For over a decade and a half this ship sailed without any idiot passengers dropping someone out of those windows...then came you.

 

 

Is this real?  It reads like it was made up by someone who new it sounded ridiculous.  Relieved that he didn't have to admit to facts?

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cruzysuzy

cruzysuzy

Posted
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Doesn't anyone remember the ship security camera's film in which he sticks his head out the window first and then grabs and dangles his step granddaughter out the window?  This civil lawsuit is sheer extortion.  His lies are to appease the family, giving them a windfall in return for his actions.

 

RCI had better not back down on this one or it will never end.  I'm sure the parents saw the film, too, and they deserve nothing but scorn for blaming it on the cruise line.

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retiredgram

retiredgram

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Posted

This has always been a very sad case.  His punishment will always be knowing that he let a little girl slip from his grasp as he dangled her out the window.  The parents will never forget regardless and every time they look at him, it will only be a constant and  sad reminder of what could have been.

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njkruzer

njkruzer

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, cruzysuzy said:

Doesn't anyone remember the ship security camera's film in which he sticks his head out the window first and then grabs and dangles his step granddaughter out the window?  This civil lawsuit is sheer extortion.  

Yes.  Remember the video and agree that this is extortion. 

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I will cut him some slack.  I am sure the guilt of his actions are clouding his memory.  It is natural that someone would block out part of the memory

 

According to the Port Authority spokesperson, Anello told the truth minutes after the incident. Anello's story then changed after the attorney got involved. 

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A&L_Ont "Live from...." Rare

A&L_Ont

Posted
Posted (edited)

I read this on-line from a site I can not link. Very sad situation all the way around. 
 

Initially Mr. Anello claimed he did not know the window was open and said he would not plead guilty after his granddaughter fell from a top deck of Freedom of the Seas.  He then changed his plea in order to avoid jail time and serve probation instead.

According to the maternal grandfather's testimony, Chloe asked be raised up by her grandfather. He put her on a rail by a window, thinking the glass would hold her. However, the window was open.

Royal Caribbean said that surveillance video shows Anello leaning out the window for about eight seconds before lifting the girl by and out of the open window for 34 seconds before he lost his grip. 

Edited by A&L_Ont
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njkruzer

njkruzer

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7 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

I read this on-line from a site I can not link. Very sad situation all the way around. 
 

Initially Mr. Anello claimed he did not know the window was open and said he would not plead guilty after his granddaughter fell from a top deck of Freedom of the Seas.  He then changed his plea in order to avoid jail time and serve probation instead.

According to the maternal grandfather's testimony, Chloe asked be raised up by her grandfather. He put her on a rail by a window, thinking the glass would hold her. However, the window was open.

Royal Caribbean said that surveillance video shows Anello leaning out the window for about eight seconds before lifting the girl by and out of the open window for 34 seconds before he lost his grip. 

That's what I remember. 

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