Edward Kanterman was back in court yesterday.
The facts of his case have not changed. They haven’t gotten any less sad either.
Kanterman is the Lansdowne grandfather who picked up his little grandson from his daughter, then promptly drove to work. He routinely dropped little Nicholas McCorkle off at day care. Not this time. Kanterman apparently forgot. Instead he drove to Lawrence Park Shopping Center, where he taught a course at a tech school. He parked his SUV in the parking lot, closed it up and headed inside, leaving Nicholas behind.
He did not return to his car for five hours, until after lunch.
I can’t begin to imagine the horror he has been living since the instant when it dawned on him that the child was still in his vehicle. June 10 was one of the hottest days of the summer, with temperatures in the high 90s. The temperature inside the vehicle is believed to have hit 110 degrees.
Nicholas was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive.
Kanterman was charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter.
Yesterday he was held for trial after a preliminary hearing in Marple District Court.
Kanterman’s explanation has been simply that “he forgot” the toddler was still strapped into his car seat in the back of the vehicle.
Yesterday his attorney and family members again made the case that there was no criminal intent on Kanterman’s part and that they did not want the case pursued.
And again the D.A.’s office argued otherwise. Kanterman was held for trial.
I like to think I could not possibly do what Edward Kanterman is charged with doing. But my fear, in places that I’d prefer not to dwell on, is that maybe I could.
Since this story first broke, I have been asking everyone I know for an explanation, if they could somehow explain what happened.
As you might guess, people have pretty strong beliefs.
Most simply can’t fathom how such a thing could occur. Maybe that’s the point.
The facts of his case have not changed. They haven’t gotten any less sad either.
Kanterman is the Lansdowne grandfather who picked up his little grandson from his daughter, then promptly drove to work. He routinely dropped little Nicholas McCorkle off at day care. Not this time. Kanterman apparently forgot. Instead he drove to Lawrence Park Shopping Center, where he taught a course at a tech school. He parked his SUV in the parking lot, closed it up and headed inside, leaving Nicholas behind.
He did not return to his car for five hours, until after lunch.
I can’t begin to imagine the horror he has been living since the instant when it dawned on him that the child was still in his vehicle. June 10 was one of the hottest days of the summer, with temperatures in the high 90s. The temperature inside the vehicle is believed to have hit 110 degrees.
Nicholas was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive.
Kanterman was charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter.
Yesterday he was held for trial after a preliminary hearing in Marple District Court.
Kanterman’s explanation has been simply that “he forgot” the toddler was still strapped into his car seat in the back of the vehicle.
Yesterday his attorney and family members again made the case that there was no criminal intent on Kanterman’s part and that they did not want the case pursued.
And again the D.A.’s office argued otherwise. Kanterman was held for trial.
I like to think I could not possibly do what Edward Kanterman is charged with doing. But my fear, in places that I’d prefer not to dwell on, is that maybe I could.
Since this story first broke, I have been asking everyone I know for an explanation, if they could somehow explain what happened.
As you might guess, people have pretty strong beliefs.
Most simply can’t fathom how such a thing could occur. Maybe that’s the point.
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