There is a certain irony that the long, drawn-out, sad saga of Mia Sardella will conclude today in a Media courtroom.
Sardella is due in Media to be sentenced after entering a no-contest plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter, as well as abuse of a corpse and concealing the death of a child.
It was exactly two years ago today, Jan. 22, that Sardella’s mother discovered the remains of a baby in a duffel bag in the trunk of her car in Drexel Hill.
It took four months before charges were filed against her by the district attorney’s office. But when they came, they rumbled across the county.
Based on the findings of county medical examiner Dr. Fred Hellman, D.A. Mike Green charged Sardella, then 19, with first-degree murder.
The case has sparked controversy from the outset, with some questioning how long it took for charges to be filed, and many insisting it showed the stark differences in our judicial system. They argued that Sardella was being treated differently because she came from a family of means.
I’m not really sure that’s true. Yes, there is no doubt that Sardella’s family was able to afford a good defense. That is her right.
But she will still be standing in front of a judge this morning as a felon. She very likely will be looking at some jail time.
The original first-degree murder charges were withdrawn, replaced with a third-degree charge. That was dropped as part of her plea agreement.
Sardella has been free on electronic home monitoring for the past two years. That could change this morning.
I might make the argument that Sardella has been in another kind of jail for much of that time. That likely won’t satisfy the critics who think she continues to get off easy.
I don’t think what happens this morning will end the debate over the Sardella case and how it has been handled.
And it certainly won’t end one other thing. It won’t end the incredible sadness that has been at the root of this case for more than two years.
Sardella is due in Media to be sentenced after entering a no-contest plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter, as well as abuse of a corpse and concealing the death of a child.
It was exactly two years ago today, Jan. 22, that Sardella’s mother discovered the remains of a baby in a duffel bag in the trunk of her car in Drexel Hill.
It took four months before charges were filed against her by the district attorney’s office. But when they came, they rumbled across the county.
Based on the findings of county medical examiner Dr. Fred Hellman, D.A. Mike Green charged Sardella, then 19, with first-degree murder.
The case has sparked controversy from the outset, with some questioning how long it took for charges to be filed, and many insisting it showed the stark differences in our judicial system. They argued that Sardella was being treated differently because she came from a family of means.
I’m not really sure that’s true. Yes, there is no doubt that Sardella’s family was able to afford a good defense. That is her right.
But she will still be standing in front of a judge this morning as a felon. She very likely will be looking at some jail time.
The original first-degree murder charges were withdrawn, replaced with a third-degree charge. That was dropped as part of her plea agreement.
Sardella has been free on electronic home monitoring for the past two years. That could change this morning.
I might make the argument that Sardella has been in another kind of jail for much of that time. That likely won’t satisfy the critics who think she continues to get off easy.
I don’t think what happens this morning will end the debate over the Sardella case and how it has been handled.
And it certainly won’t end one other thing. It won’t end the incredible sadness that has been at the root of this case for more than two years.
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