:@The little scum bag hoodlums that beat up the Amtrak Engineer and the Conductor in April, 2007 in West Sacramento, received their sentences today. Here is the story from KXTV 10 in Sacramento. It is a sad statement that they only got this sentence. Please read the story and see what you think. Were they mistreated? Was their sentence too stiff? Were they not looking to do this? BULLSHIT!
Here is the story.
WOODLAND, CA - Three alleged members of the Broderick Boys street gang were sentenced Friday for the 2007 beating of an Amtrak engineer and conductor in West Sacramento.
The three men who were all teenagers at the time of the attack received sentences ranging from eight-to-nine years. A fourth defendant also convicted will be sentenced in juvenile court because he's 16-years-old, although Orlando Ramos was tried as an adult with the others.
Ramos, 20-year-old Paliton Nunes, his 19-year-old brother Austen and 19-year-old Daniel bonge were convicted in November of several charges in the attack. At Friday's sentencing, the victim most severely injured said his life is changed forever.
"I have lived with a concussion, physical injuries and Post traumatic Stress Disorder. My income came to a sudden stop," said train engineer Jacob Keating, who said when he could work he lost his home and investments. He said the stress and emotional problems also caused his divorce.
On April 16, 2007, one of the defendants allegedly stood on the railroad tracks to slow an eastbound Amtrak Capital Corridor train in West Sacramento just before the tracks cross the Sacramento River. When the train slowed, two defendants starting pelting an engineer with rocks as he got off the train to clear the tracks, according to the Yolo County district attorney.
The engineer and the men began fighting. The conductor then got involved by spraying a fire extinguisher to chase away the assailants.
Before it was over, both the engineer and conductor were injured. The engineer, identified as Jake Keating, was hurt most severely hurt, hit in the head with rocks, the fire extinguisher and a bottle of alcohol, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say the fight was the culmination of a day of drinking and partying by the men. They say the group stole five cases of beer from the nearby Lighthouse Market and were drinking that beer near the tracks across the street when the train came along at 10:30 that night.
Paliton Nunes, 20; Austen Nunes, 19; and Orlando Ramos, 16, were all convicted on 11 felony counts, including attempted manslaughter, assault with deadly weapons and throwing objects at a train. Daniel Bonge, 19, was convicted of the same charges except for the attempted manslaughter charge.
The four men were also convicted on a charge of belonging to a street gang. All are from West Sacramento and prosecutors say they belong to the Broderick Boys. A fifth defendant, Robert Reynolds, was acquitted on all charges.
Friday, Paliton Nunes was sentenced to nine years in prison in the case while his brother Austen and Bonge each received eight years and four months.
"It's not fair," said Paliton Nunes' fiance outside court after sentencing. "Yhey did not try to kill him. That was not their intent. It's not like they planned it out like that was what they were gonna do that night," said Tabetha Crenshaw.
Keating read a victim impact statement and said while he wants the men to be punished, he doesn't want it to be to the maximum extent allowed.
"I forgive them for their actions, not to be kind to them but for my own recovery. If I live with hate my recovery will be much harder, Keating told the court.
Supporters of the defendants submitted letters testifying to their character. In handing down the sentences, Yolo County Court Judge Timothy Fall said, "The letters all talk about the warmth, caring and kindness of these individuals. They didn't show warmth, caring or kindness that day."
The judge also talked about pictures the men had taken of each other flashing gang signs, and the conviction for being part of a gang enhanced the sentences. Still, family members denied gang ties.
"No, they're not part of the Broderick Boys. They're only lived in Broderick a year, year and a half," said Gail Nunes, mother of the two brothers. She said she also felt the sentences were too harsh because her sons have no serious prior offenses, something the judge also noted during the hearing.
Still, Fall rejected the possibility of probation. "There's no way," he told defense attorneys. "This was a full day of criminal conduct."
Ramos' sentence in juvenile court wasn't immediately available.
The Broderick Boys have sparked controversy for several years, with police and prosecutors attempting to impose a gang injunction limiting their activity in a zone of West Sacramento.
Many residents dispute the Broderick Boys label, protesting the gang injunction as a civil rights violation. They say the term "Broderick Boys" no longer relates to a gang but rather is a long-established identity for people growing up in that section of the city.
The four defendants have been in custody on no bail since their conviction.
News10/KXTV
