Needs answers
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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Stumble It!June 19, 2008
To the editor:
It has been nearly a year since my husband’s stepson, Steven Lilley, was hit and killed while riding his bicycle home from work.
The Alaska State Troopers have callously disregarded our family’s pleas for information. Stevie’s brother was told “the matter is still under investigation.” Why don’t they just admit that they don’t really care? Evidently, they feel that the families of Natives are sub-human and don’t deserve or have any need of closure or justice.
We do know that the car that hit Stevie was driven by a 16-year-old girl who may have been traveling at a high rate of speed. Due to her age, her identity is kept secret from the public. We have no idea if she received any punishment or even a stern lecture.
I hope and pray that this young woman sees this letter and that her conscience (if she has one) will not allow her a moment of peace or happiness or even a good night’s sleep until she faces our family and delivers a sincere apology.
Our family has no desire for revenge. We know that she didn’t kill our beloved Stevie on purpose.
I’m sure her family would want closure for one of their own, were the shoe on the other foot.
If her family were to help her in doing the right thing, it would be a positive step toward adulthood.
Please call me at 452-4648. There is nothing more important than the love of God and our families.
Jan Gill
Fairbanks
Community Discussion
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Ya know....the moment you pulled the "I'm Native" card, I pretty much stopped caring.
Sure, I'm sorry your kid got killed. But don't make this a race issue, it's simply not.
I concur - the letter was fine but for the race card......
The death of my "non-native" son took 2 years from the beginning of the investigation until the driver was prosecuted. That is a very common time frame. I know it is frustrating to wait so long. Blood tests are sent out of state and can take months to be processed. Having only one medical examiner's office in the state (in Anchorage) also slows down the process.
Check on the internet for the State's Victim's Rights Office. They can help you through the process.
sdoownek nailed it on the head. Good luck Jan.
Do you think because your family NATIVE you should be given priority?? Tests take time and if you want accurate results let them do their job and stop bothering them. When they have the answers they will notify you.
DITTO...what does being NATIVE have to do with ANYTHING..are you saying because youre NATIVE, the troopers arent doing their jobs?
This is disgraceful.
The DNM strives to avoid race-baiting on its message boards....then publishes this letter. What are they thinking?
I just don't get some of the editorial decisions at DNM.
why would you percieve AST to be thinking of Native people as sub-human? sounds more like a self-esteem issue to me.
I guess the fact that the race card was used is enough to 'stop caring'. Excellent point.
Very interesting.
I can only think that Jan's grief led her to make the comment about Natives being treated "sub-human". Otherwise, it sounds out of character for the person that I've known for 20 years.
FYI, some of you have jumped to conclusions, which is not that unusual. The writer of the letter is not Native. Her stepsons are.
Still, it is the "race card" being played, and that aint right.
This entire letter assumes the girl was somehow at fault, even though there seems to be no evidence to support that (i.e. the girl "may" have been going at a high rate of speed.) What evidence does the family have that the girl was at fault or contributed to the stepson's death through some type of negligence. If the girl did nothing wrong (i.e. the stepson crossed the road on a red light while the girl had the green), why does the girl owe the family an apology? Again, these are all IF questions, but they seem to have no more or less basis in fact than what the step mother is saying/asking.
I'm sorry for your loss and the grief of waiting for the court system. In order for justice to prevail, investigations need to be exhaustive. It's not only that tests take awhile and that sometimes investigations come to a stall because of lack of evidence or leads, but the fundamentals of our court system need to be practiced in order for justice to happen. Justice might be that there's not enough evidence to come to a conclusion about who was driving the vehicle, and therefore the State's attorney may not be able to prosecute someone. It's completely frustrating and understandable you feel nothing is being done.
I'm sorry you're being kept in the dark about the investigation, and I suggest you check out https://www.officeofvictimsrights.legis.... or call the State office of Victims' Rights at 866-274-2620. Alaska has some very unique victims' rights, established in our constitution that may be of help to you. I'm sure they will be of some assistance to you and your family.
I think that regardless of how old this girl was that this family deserves some answers! I am ashamed at what some of the people wrote here. We all know that there are definate race issues in this town. Always have been & will never change. Troopers are probably worse than most based on the things they have dealt with.
Having said that, I have a feeling that this lady would have got more sympathy had she been complaining about her dog getting run over!
This family deserves to know how & why their step son was killed! Could you imagine losing your child and never having the details of what happened? His fault or her fault - let these people have closure!
I for one find this situation ridiculous and I apologize to the family for some of the things I read here. Good luck in getting your answers!
I, too, would like to express my condolences on your loss.
Please keep in mind that this girl's lawyer may have advised against her apologizing to you.
Strange days, indeed. Folks agreeing with swoodnek?
I can completely understand wanting answers, wanting to put the pieces together, wanting to know who the girl is and how she is coping.... but if you "guilt" her into apologizing, it won't be very sincere. How does that help? 16 (now 17) year olds think differently than adults. You may have to wait for her to mature and discuss the accident sincerely.
I can only image what the 16 year old girl is going through knowing she killed that boy. I know it is hard for both families. My heart goes out to both families. We are all Gods children and we will have the chance to see our family again when we die.
NATIVE?!?!? I'm a little tired of hearing that " I'm a minority!" card! Please! I understand your child was killed in an accident, but I'm sure this ACCIDENT was not a deliberate act of racial hate.... and I'm sure this law enforcement is doing their best. If you weren't aware... police records don't read "Steven Lillie - NATIVE!". No body cares what race you are. The most racist people are those who pull a random comment out of the blue to justify their position.
I'm sure... if your family isn't looking for revenge, you would want this teenager correctly prosecuted, if the case justifies. Likewise, I'm sure you don't want the law enforcement to lie to you and said something random like, "The case is near being solved. We've come up with the conclusion that..." and then backtrack. What would make you more angry.... having to wait or being lied to! Patience is a Virtue!
Sorry for your loss, but let the officers to their job.
Suddenly a lot of people have confisdence in the fairness of our justice system as well as it's effectiveness. How incredible!
I was under the impression that lawyers generally advise against contact with the family of the deceased in matters like this because regardless of how the words are constructed an appology can be seen or construed as an admission of guilt.
Where do we get of mentioning the Native deal?! What! This was not and is not a race issue and I don't care if the letter writer is native or not--that should not have been brought up. As for hoping that this girl doesn't sleep until you get an apology--where do you get off? I am sure this girl has missed many nights of sleep knowing that she killed another human being! Has anyone asked your family to apologize for your son going thru a crosswalk that was not his right of way and making this girl hit him? Probably not.
I know this woman is hurting, but lashing out at others because of an ACCIDENT is not the answer. Try to forgive. This child did not set out that morning with the intention of causing harm to your son. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!
Sounds like LA has all the answers. Apparantly she must have witnessed the accident....
sherry--I did follow the story as probably did you. If you recall there was no citations in the accident, because the girl was deemed to have the right of way. Do I have all the answers? My husband would probably say "She is never wrong"! If I have this wrong please correct me.
There are so many things wrong with this letter, I don't even know where to begin. My favorite part is this:
"I hope and pray that this young woman sees this letter and that her conscience (if she has one) will not allow her a moment of peace or happiness or even a good night’s sleep"
This is followed in the next paragraph with: "Our family has no desire for revenge."
Ummmm.....lets see....I wish upon you no peace, no happiness, and no sleep, but its NOT revenge????
Then there is the whole native issue and the accusation that AST thinks of natives as sub-human. I suggest that Ms. Gill owes all the hard working troopers an apology for making such an accusation.
I am sure everyone on here feels sorry for Ms. Gill's family and the tragic accident that took their loved ones' life. This letter, however, should have been reconsidered.
Hey HybridAlaskan, this is called a LETTER TO THE EDITOR. It's the letter writer's opinion, not the DNM's.
SlyArticFox - Yeah...so what?
DNM selectively prints their “letters to the editor” all the time. What, exactly, was the point of publishing this letter?
It wished ill will on a 16-year-old(“I hope and pray that this young woman sees this letter and that her conscience (if she has one) will not allow her a moment of peace”). I’m willing to bet that 16-year-old already feels bad for taking a human life.
Then in the subsequent paragraph it states “[w]e know that she didn’t kill our beloved Stevie on purpose.”
Really? If it was such an obvious accident, then why are you even bothering pursuing the issue?
Additionally, it unnecessarily accused the troopers of treating natives as “sub-human.” Again, what’s the point?
Why would DNM publish this tripe?
I agree with 'Mike'
Its interesting to me that now everyone is defending our troopers and has a sudden faith in the justice system...when in all of the other articles I have read, the comments all make the legal system in the Banks out to be a joke.
I don't think people are really defending the troopers more so stating that it is ridiculous to say that this is a race issue.
was your dear son hit because he is native? if yes, then your letter has merit and people should give you a call.
Admittedly, the News-Miner comments is not where I go to bask in the warmth of human compassion, but this thread beats all. If you want to convince Ms. Gill that racism has nothing to do with this situation, I don't think telling her that you don't care, calling her letter disgraceful, and otherwise belittling her is the best way to do that. I don't agree that the slow pace of the investigation is proof of racism, but I understand where she's coming from. Before attacking her, try to put yourself in her place and consider what she and her family have been through.
By harping on that one comment, everyone has ignored what is good in this letter. Ms. Gill is reaching out to the young woman--without demonizing her--as a way to learn what happened and to find closure. It would be a good thing for all parties concerned.
Ok bone heads, This is to all the wild drivers in Fairbanks
yes, you know who you are. This is what could happen next
time you speed down the street with your cell phone in your
ear. Whew, without the defendsive drivering skills I have
taking, you boneheads could have made my bucket many years
ago.
wisechief: ohhhh wise and all knowing chief, what exactly are "defendsive drivering skills I have been taking"?
maybe you should work on your spelling and sentence structure skills before calling others offensive names...on the other hand, it may be too late for you...
I am sorry for your loss and pain
Remember that th eTV show CSI is fiction. In real life DNA testing and paint transfer analysis are not done in minutes. In reality they take months to complete. There is a tremendous backlog for all forensic testing, this is a major hurdle for almost all investigations. Dont discount that because the offender was 16 they will get away with the crime. Additonally, by releasing information to you, it could potentially alter an investigation. I am sure the Troopers want to clear this up as soon as possible as well. It may be in the DAs hands as well. The DA certainly isnt moving cases along very fast these days.
OOOOh....I offended a bonehead from the streets, Sorry. My prayers are with Jan.
Bedasse--"By harping on that one comment, everyone ignored what is good in this letter. Ms. Gill is reaching out to the young woman--". Okay did we read the same letter? The letter I read was telling this poor girl that she hoped that she didn't get a moment of peace or happiness until she apologized. I guess some places that might sound sweet, but not where I'm from (earth)!
If this woman wanted someone to listen to her she should have never played the race card. People get turned off by those comments and this thread reflects that.
Why would DNM publish this tripe?
To generate comments, obviously.
wow, all you people getting pissed cause someone mentioned "the native 'card'" sound pretty racist, SORRY but there are natives that were HERE FIRST and besides what makes you soooo absolutely POSITIVE that race is NOT an issue with whichever trooper is handling the investigation???
and SORRY but there IS PREJUDICE, and LOTS of it in our town.
some of YOU reading this are in fact prejudice/racist (you know who you are) and have NO BUSINESS in our society, move to a third world country if you want racism as a way of life.
kingfisher must be one of those BONEHEADS that causes accidents cause he NEEDS his phone while driving or something.
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