What is a life worth, and what is an accident?
These two questions were entwined with the sentencing of Matthew Oropeza, 25, to 2-5 years in jail for killing Drew Justice, 38, in January 2019. I wrote about the case at the time.
Oropeza broke down at his sentencing, all contrite.
Shakespeare wrote that the quality of mercy is not strained, but there are a few things about this case you should know.
In January 2019 Oropeza was walking his two dogs, illegally off leash, in a South Philly park. As he walked his small dog, Justice called over to Oropeza that he should have his two dogs on leashes.
Oropeza got in Justice’s face, words were exchanged and Oropeza punched Justice, knocking him down and killing him.
An accident.
Except that he had a verbal confrontation four days earlier in the same park with someone else who complained about his unleashed dogs.
So Oropeza is revealed as an arrogant jerk who feels the rules don’t apply to him and his dogs.
Add to that two earlier arrests for fighting, in 2013 and 2016. In addition to arrogant, we have an aggressive hothead too quick to go to violence.
As is his custom, D.A. Larry Krasner went light, and charged Oropeza with involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of five years. I argued at the time that murder in the third degree would fit the crime, and carry a penalty of up to 20 years.
In court, Oropeza said he was contrite, and called himself “a lover, not a fighter,” despite evidence to the contrary.
Like me, Common Pleas Judge Glenn Bronson questioned let ‘em loose Larry’s charge. “This behavior in my opinion is not typical of that charge,” Bronson said, noting the earlier threat.
“That really just shows a sense of entitlement, antisocial, aggressive behavior of someone who could not take the fact that someone had the temerity to ask him to abide by the law,” Bronson said.
Precisely.
Oropeza pleaded guilty and as part of that deal Krasner dropped charges of making terroristic threats, simple assault, and reckless endangerment.
In Pennsylvania, you become eligible for parole after your minimum sentence has been served.
Oropeza can be out as soon as 2022, while Justice is dead forever.
Thanks, Larry Krasner.
They claim Justice is blind, Wellington this case she was raped also.
Krasner can make up any number of charges he wants that doesn’t coincide the fact that a man died by the defendants hand.
A DA like this Philadelphia doesn’t need, and he should be gone next election cycle else you think Limburger smells bad?
He was elected with 13% of the vote. His progressive voters turned out, sane Philadelphians did not.
Doesn’t the judge have the authority to set the punishment to fit the crime?
There are guidelines for each offense. Criminal pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, thanks to the D.A. The judge cannot find him guilty of the more serious charge. The state guidelines are 2-5 years. The judge was basically saying Krasner undercharged the guy.
That’s how he puts his thumb on the scale of justice. Not the first time, Krasner and company played this game.
In all fairness, prior DA’s overcharged defendants, which is why sensible reform is necessary. Krasner is not up to the task.
Justice is not a sport, it is not about wins or losses, we need a sensible, fair minded DA.
Keep voting Democrat Philly and you deserve everything they do to you….
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Stu & readers,
I think you get the analysis of this case about right. Thanks for the up-date on what is going on in the local justice system.
As I understand the matter, D.A. Kasner was once a public defender, and public defenders often feel, rightly or wrongly, that the system is stacked again their poor defendants. Progressive support for Krasner’s election arose in part from the conviction that we simply have far too many people locked up. It is also well known that he got large amounts of campaign finance from out of town. It was a national effort to elect liberal D.A.s and reduce the levels of U.S. imprisonment. I suspect that his supporter would say, at worse, that he is over-compensating for past wrongs, but the epidemic-based economic down-turn and the recent flare-up of gun violence in the city may well turn voters against him.
People will have few doubts on where Krasner stands when he comes to the end of his term of office. Perhaps he “drank too much of “progressive Kool-aid”? But he is not the only official concerned to reduce the PA prison population.
H.G. Callaway
Watching cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, New York, etc. rapidly dying from Left Wing dry rot, I wonder what is wrong with the people who live there. They have the means to change things (“THROW THE RASCALS OUT!”) but continue to re-elect the same bad people over and over again.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Benedict & readers,
I would say that much of the left has simply stopped believing in American ideals. They have taken to idealizing elsewhere. This is not entirely new. Its a recurrent problem in American history –often connected with large-scale expansion of foreign trade and foreign contacts. Consider that American “multiculturalism” itself can be understood as idealization of one’s foreign “roots.” Teddy Roosevelt once said that the one sure way of destroying the country is to turn it into a “gaggle of squabbling nationalities.”
To restrict myself to our own fine town, I think that nothing much will really change here without a large influx of some sort of industrial jobs for ordinary people. As long as we have so many large areas of poverty and unemployment that will always tend to drag down everyone and everything else. But is expansion of employment what our elected political leaders aim for?
H.G. Callaway
Like the creep who stabbed guy on Rittenhouse, Larry let him slide, hopefully the US attorney will continue to monitor larry
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Berry & readers,
Its good that U.S. prosecutor McSwain is also at work. Generally, the U.S. Attorney for Eastern PA has long been important in cleaning up local corruption. (Recall, for instance, that it was Obama’s appointee who indicted and convicted former congressman Fattah.)
Whenever the American people are so intensively divided in political terms as we are now, the people in their wisdom tend to prefer “divided government,” say, Congress controlled by one party presidency by the other, state legislature of one party, Governor of the other, etc. Its somewhat similar with the state, county and federal prosecutors.
But what our divisiveness means, often enough, is that the one party is always attempting to destroy (or systematically exclude or “marginalize”) the other. That’s part of the error of thorough-going political radicalism–which is now creeping from one major institution to another.
H.G. Callaway
HAPPY SATURDAY !!! part III
Pallie,
I think that you missed a key ingredient, as did everyone else. Maybe I should have consulted with Dom Giordano, our resident morning jock / slash wannabe attorney, but I think that I got this one.
I do believe, in our criminal code and justice system, when a plea deal is made, it has to be agreed upon by three parties. Defendant, prosecutor and juror. Anyone can disagree, or cancel the deal, BUT , if al agree, then it is binding. In other words, we know what Larry “soros” Krasner is, and we can safely assume that Common Pleas Judge Glenn Bronson is a liberal as well. Bronson could have / should have nixed the deal. Instead, he played soft-shoe music as he danced around the legal issue of fair punishment for the crime committed. SURPRISE !
Tony
I think you are right about tri-part agreement, but I know that is sometimes violated, and the judge usually hoes along, because they want to keep things moving and avoid trial if possible.
tighten the blindfold on Lady Justice. And while you’re at it, add a gag and earplugs, handcuffs…….
I wonder what would have happened had a police officer gotten involved and, through his or her involvement, Oporeza died in the process of killing Justice. Would Krasner have been lenient with him/her, as well? An officer attempting to do their job and protect the good people citizens is crucified, it seems.