All the critics can stop calling now.
They’re the people who call this newspaper every day wanting to know why we are not updating the story involving the Drexel Hill teenager who was charged in connection with the death of her infant son, who was found stuffed in the trunk of a car.
Of course, that would come as something of a surprise to the friends and family of Mia Sardella. I get calls from her supporters every time an item appears in the paper blasting us for our coverage of the sad saga, insisting that we do not know the “real story” behind this tragedy.
Here’s what I do know. We’re not covering up anything. The case involving Sardella is still moving through the pre-trial phase. A trial date has not been set. Her next court date will be July 21 as her attorneys and prosecutors continue to go through their pre-trial maneuvering.
I do not think she is getting special treatment because of who she is, whom she knows, or her family’s status. I’m pretty sure that’s not a terribly popular belief. I know that many readers – in fact some public officials – have indicated there are two systems of justice in this county, one for those with means and one for the rest of us.
Sure, a certain income will likely get you a better defense. But it does not basically alter the case against you.
I don’t know what – if anything – Mia Sardella is guilty of. All I know, and what we have reported, is what she is charged with.
Originally Sardella was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her baby. Those charges have since been reduced to third-degree murder by the district attorney’s office.
Her supporters insist we do not know the real story and are painting a false picture of what happened. There might be a grain of truth in that.
That’s because that’s how the system works. Most of what is learned before a case goes to trial is the version presented by the prosecution, which must show cause as to why the charges were brought and then if there is sufficient reason to go to trial.
The defense’s side of things usually has to wait until a case goes to trial.
In this instance, the limitations are even stricter because of a gag order the judge placed on both sides in the case. That means neither the prosecution, nor the defense can talk about the case or the detailis involved in it.
That does not change the basic assumption that a person is innocent until proved guilty. Mia Sardella has been convicted of nothing to this point.
Someone once said the wheels of justice move slowly. Sardella’s infant boy was found in a duffel bag in the trunk of a car on Jan. 22, 2007.
We will continue to update the case as we get information and as events dictate.
And, I suppose, be criticized by both sides every step of the way.
They’re the people who call this newspaper every day wanting to know why we are not updating the story involving the Drexel Hill teenager who was charged in connection with the death of her infant son, who was found stuffed in the trunk of a car.
Of course, that would come as something of a surprise to the friends and family of Mia Sardella. I get calls from her supporters every time an item appears in the paper blasting us for our coverage of the sad saga, insisting that we do not know the “real story” behind this tragedy.
Here’s what I do know. We’re not covering up anything. The case involving Sardella is still moving through the pre-trial phase. A trial date has not been set. Her next court date will be July 21 as her attorneys and prosecutors continue to go through their pre-trial maneuvering.
I do not think she is getting special treatment because of who she is, whom she knows, or her family’s status. I’m pretty sure that’s not a terribly popular belief. I know that many readers – in fact some public officials – have indicated there are two systems of justice in this county, one for those with means and one for the rest of us.
Sure, a certain income will likely get you a better defense. But it does not basically alter the case against you.
I don’t know what – if anything – Mia Sardella is guilty of. All I know, and what we have reported, is what she is charged with.
Originally Sardella was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her baby. Those charges have since been reduced to third-degree murder by the district attorney’s office.
Her supporters insist we do not know the real story and are painting a false picture of what happened. There might be a grain of truth in that.
That’s because that’s how the system works. Most of what is learned before a case goes to trial is the version presented by the prosecution, which must show cause as to why the charges were brought and then if there is sufficient reason to go to trial.
The defense’s side of things usually has to wait until a case goes to trial.
In this instance, the limitations are even stricter because of a gag order the judge placed on both sides in the case. That means neither the prosecution, nor the defense can talk about the case or the detailis involved in it.
That does not change the basic assumption that a person is innocent until proved guilty. Mia Sardella has been convicted of nothing to this point.
Someone once said the wheels of justice move slowly. Sardella’s infant boy was found in a duffel bag in the trunk of a car on Jan. 22, 2007.
We will continue to update the case as we get information and as events dictate.
And, I suppose, be criticized by both sides every step of the way.
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