5 Scouts struck by vehicle (Long Island)

[RememberSchiff]

MANORVILLE - Suffolk police say five Boy Scouts were hospitalized after they were struck by a car in Manorville Sunday afternoon.

Rescue workers were forced to administer CPR to one of the victims. Another was airlifted to the trauma center at Stony Brook University Hospital.

https://abc7ny.com/police-5-hospitalized-after-car-plows-into-group-of-boy-scouts/4377783/

Edited September 30, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[FireStone]

Horrible. Just horrible. Praying for those scouts. 

[RememberSchiff]

The driver was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and taken and was held in the Seventh Precinct overnight. He’s scheduled to be arraigned in court Monday.

Edited October 1, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[RememberSchiff]

Update 10/1/18

One scout has died.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/driver-charged-dui-plowing-group-boy-scouts-critically/story?id=58197864

https://abc7ny.com/1-dead-man-charged-with-dwi-after-car-plows-into-boy-scouts/4377783/

Edited October 1, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[RememberSchiff]

Wake services will be held for Andrew McMorris at Branch Funeral Home of Miller Place on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Islip.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Wildcats Helping the Arts & Music in Shoreham, and Suffolk Boy Scout Troop 161.

The entire statement from the McMorris family is as follows.

Andrew McMorris was no ordinary boy.

Andrew was born with a sense of wonder and amazement of the world around him, and he never lost the ability to be awed by and delighted with all it had to offer.

Andrew was an artful child, and he channeled his abundant creativity through painting, acting, singing, and playing his piano, guitar, mandolin and ukulele. Always up for a costume, Andrew was Tin Man in his 5th grade production of The Wizard of Oz and of course Michael Jackson.

Andrew was an active kid, and was often on the rosters of community soccer and basketball teams. This year, Andrew joined his middle school cross country team and had looked forward to running with his team in his first meet this week. He loved to ski, and looked forward to long weekends and fresh powder. He loved being outdoors, especially hiking and camping trips with his friends in Troop 161.

Andrew was a dedicated community member, providing years of service through his participation with his Boy Scout Troop, Cub Scouts, and various school organizations. Serving in Boy Scouts was an honor Andrew was proud of. He dedicated to obtaining the highest honor of Eagle Scout. He participated in countless fundraisers, community clean-ups, and other projects such as tree planting and gardening.

He loved to travel, and was always up for trips, visits and excursions. Together with his family, Andrew toured parts of Hawaii and Alaska, explored Paris, France, London, England and sailed Disney cruises.

Bright and hardworking, Andrew was an Honor Roll student. Classmates, teachers and friends found him sometimes silly, always funny and, occasionally, a bit cheeky. He was a friend to everyone and showed kindness to all. Andrew was a loving son to Alisa and John, and a dedicated brother to Arianna. And to our larger SWR community of parents and children, Andrew was our 'son from another mother' and our 'other brother.'

But more than any other characteristic, what stands out about Andrew is his desire to fly and his passion for aviation.

Andrew wanted to fly before he could walk. Airplanes, helicopters and rockets were the obsession of his life, and he achieved his first piloting goal this past summer during AeroCamp. Andrew was occasionally chided by parents, coaches and teachers for "having his head in the clouds, but for Andrew, that only made sense. He wanted his whole self in the clouds, broken free of the bonds of this earth, borne up into an endless sky, with nothing but blue around him and horizon ahead, aloft and away ...

Fly high, Andrew.

https://abc7ny.com/family/family-of-boy-scout-killed-by-alleged-drunk-driver-speaks-out-/4403927/Scout salute, unlimted visibility 

Scout salute, 

[qwazse]

God rest him, and bless his family.

[RememberSchiff]

In court on Tuesday, Thomas Murphy faced Andrew McMorris' mother while dozens of scouts from McMorris' Troop 161 filled the hallway outside court, wearing red ribbons to honor the friend who dreamed of being a pilot. 

"We're trying to get through the holidays without our child," said Alisa McMorris. 

Source text and court video

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Drunk-Driving-Suspect-Court-Boy-Scout-Killed-Crash-Long-Island-501383891.html

[mrkstvns]

On 11/28/2018 at 7:17 AM, RememberSchiff said:

In court on Tuesday, Thomas Murphy faced Andrew McMorris' mother while dozens of scouts from McMorris' Troop 161 filled the hallway outside court, wearing red ribbons to honor the friend who dreamed of being a pilot. 

"We're trying to get through the holidays without our child," said Alisa McMorris. 

Source text and court video

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Drunk-Driving-Suspect-Court-Boy-Scout-Killed-Crash-Long-Island-501383891.html

 

Legal proceedings against the drunk driver who killed the scout are still dragging on...
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/boy-scout-fatal-drunken-driving-1.32258655 

 

[FireStone]

Maybe I'm naive about the court system, plea deals, etc... but this seems like an open-and-shut case to me. They have a blood test that shows the driver was drunk, more than double the legal limit. He's given statements admitting his role in the accident and resulting injuries and death. And yet despite his claims that he won't prolong the family's suffering, he is pleading not-guilty, going to trial, and trying (unsuccessfully) to suppress other evidence. Kind of hard to believe that he's truly remorseful when his actions since the accident contradict what he says.

[mrkstvns]

6 hours ago, FireStone said:

Maybe I'm naive about the court system, plea deals, etc... but this seems like an open-and-shut case to me.  ...

Seems like it to me too, but sadly, lawyers are involved, so no closure yet for the scout's grieving family.

Reminds me of something my dad used to say, "Where there's a will, there's a lawyer to tie it up in probate for years."

[RememberSchiff]

Update 12/18/19: 

A jury of seven men and five women has convicted Thomas Murphy, 60, accused of driving drunk and killing a Boy Scout on Long Island last year.

He was found guilty on all nine counts. He was charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, two counts of second-degree vehicular assault, two counts of third-degree assault and reckless driving.

Murphy faces 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

"This was a completely unnecessary process for us to have to go through, a million times worse," mom Alisa McMorris said.

The process was made that much more difficult because Murphy passed up a plea agreement, which guaranteed the painful trial.

"He backed out," Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said. "That's the kind of person he is."

His defense unsuccessfully attempted to argue that the Boy Scouts weren't supervised properly that day and were not walking on the side of the road when Murphy swerved into them. Defense attorney Steven Politi vowed to appeal the verdict, potentially dragging on the family's agony longer.

"This is the very beginning," Politi said. "And we'll be appealing all of them."

The family says they are haunted by Murphy's lack of accountability and what became a quest for justice. ...

https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/news/jury-convicts-thomas-murphy-in-boy-scouts-death

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-finds-dwi-driver-who-killed-ny-boy-scout-guilty/2243491/

https://abc7ny.com/man-who-ran-down-boy-scout-while-drunk-convicted-on-all-counts/5766121/

[mashmaster]

No remorse at all.....    Is it bad for me to wish on unscoutly activities happen to him in prison?

[RememberSchiff]

911 call (4:40) released. Note: Dispatch request for chest rise timing (2:00) and mention of medical forms (2:50).

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/boy-scout-trial-911-call-1.38527417

[elitts]

On 6/13/2019 at 10:06 AM, FireStone said:

Maybe I'm naive about the court system, plea deals, etc... but this seems like an open-and-shut case to me. They have a blood test that shows the driver was drunk, more than double the legal limit. He's given statements admitting his role in the accident and resulting injuries and death. And yet despite his claims that he won't prolong the family's suffering, he is pleading not-guilty, going to trial, and trying (unsuccessfully) to suppress other evidence. Kind of hard to believe that he's truly remorseful when his actions since the accident contradict what he says.

A "plea deal being offered" can mean drastically different things depending on how public the case is.

If I was going to speculate, I'd say that when this became publicized, the DA involved decided to throw the whole book at him and go for the max, which forces a defendant to decide if their remorse is strong enough to give up the rest of their life.   I've seen plea deals in situations like this.  As an example, I'd guess it went something like:

 Drunk driver kills someone and is charged with Vehicular homicide (6-10 year penalty);

Case becomes publicized;

DA adds charges of: 3rd Degree murder, Assault, Conspiracy to commit assault, Use of a deadly weapon in a crime, Use of technology to commit a crime, Depraved indifference, and maybe criminal negligence.

DA offers a deal of: "I'll drop all the other stuff I've added if you plead guilty to Murder with 15 - 25 years.

Now, while this might not sound unfair or anything, the problem is that if it hadn't ever gotten widespread publicity, he might have been offered the original Vehicular Manslaughter with 6-10 years.  If you knew that some people who were guilty of the same thing as you were getting 6-10 years, would you blithely accept 15-25?  I don't think I would.

I mean, I have zero sympathy for the guy and I think he probably should spend the rest of his "non-doddering" life in jail; but I also dislike the way DAs and prosecutors go about things.

*Just a note, I made up all those crime names and penalties for the sake of examples*

Edited June 7, 2020 by elitts

[RememberSchiff]

Update 6/27/20: Sentencing postponed a fourth time!

Murphy, free on a $500,000 bond, was initially scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21. The sentencing was adjourned to March 27, but by then the pandemic had disrupted the criminal justice system across the state. Murphy’s sentencing date was again postponed to May 20, then to June 26 and then, yesterday, to July 31.

https://riverheadlocal.com/2020/06/27/sentencing-postponed-a-fourth-time-for-drunk-driver-who-killed-wading-river-boy-scout-in-2018/