Child's killer sentenced to die
Girl's videotaped abduction gained worldwide attention
Wednesday, March 15, 2006; Posted: 4:32 p.m. EST (21:32 GMT)
Joseph P. Smith also was sentenced to life in prison without parole for kidnapping and sexual battery.
SARASOTA, Florida (CNN) -- A Florida judge formally sentenced Joseph P. Smith to death Wednesday for the 2004 murder of Carlie Brucia, whose abduction was captured by a security camera and shown around the world.
"Joseph Smith, based upon your actions, you have forfeited your right to live freely among us in society and pursuant to the laws of Florida you have forfeited your right to live," said Sarasota County Circuit Judge Andrew Owens.
Owens also sentenced Smith to life in prison without the possibility of parole on kidnapping and sexual battery charges. (Watch the child killer receive his sentence -- 1:34)
Brucia was abducted and killed in February 2004, while she was walking home from a friend's house.
The car wash camera showed her being led away by a man in a blue shirt.
A jury convicted Smith, 39, in November and recommended 10-2 that he be put to death.
Owens cited a number of aggravating factors in the crime, including the kidnapping and sexual assault of Brucia, the fact that Smith killed her in hopes of avoiding arrest, and the premeditated and cruel nature of the crime.
He said that forensic evidence showed that it would have taken several minutes for Carlie to die by strangulation.
"The defendant had adequate time to reflect on whether to spare Carlie's life. He had other options available to him, but for reasons we may never know, he simply chose to ignore them," Owens said. "In fact, he not only chose to ignore those options, but the forensic evidence reveals that he held the ligature so tight around Carlie's neck that it dug into her flesh. He did not let go and ultimately carried out his senseless plan to end her life."
Begging for mercy
At a hearing last month, Smith tearfully apologized for the pain he caused and asked the judge to spare his life for the sake of his children.
He said he started using heroin at age 19 and abused drugs until the day he abducted and killed Brucia.
Smith said his memory of the crime is hazy. "I don't understand how it all happened. ... I remember thinking it was wrong, but I couldn't stop."
"I want to tell you, and Carlie's family, and my family, and this community, how very sorry I am for these terrible crimes. Every day I think about what I did, and I beg God for forgiveness," Smith said.
Owens said it was unclear whether Smith was under the influence of drugs when he killed Brucia and that his efforts to conceal the crime show that he knew his actions were wrong.
Stolen future
At last month's hearing, Prosecutor Debra Riva asked the judge to remember what Carlie went through before her death.
"Consider her inability to fight back and what she knew was looming over her," Riva said.
Carlie's relatives and friends also testified that their lives have been forever shattered by the crime.
One by one, the girl's aunts, a teacher and her best friend's mother described the impact her rape and murder had on their lives.
Two of her aunts mourned the bright and bubbly child they will never see grow up, the smiles and hugs that don't come anymore, the shopping trips and beach outings that won't be taken.
"Carlie's future and life were stolen from her -- and us, her family," said her aunt, Laurie Jane Brucia.
'Overwhelming sadness'
"Our hearts will never heal," she added. "Our family has been left with an overwhelming sadness, a void that pictures will never fill. Carlie, our hope for the future, is gone forever."
Another aunt said the crime "completely tore apart three very close families" and "destroyed marriages, friendships and family relationships."
At Carlie's middle school, classmates had trouble concentrating, met often with counselors and fell behind in school. A garden was dedicated to her memory, said Noel Gilliland, a special education teacher who said Carlie assisted in her class and "was always ready to help the underdog."
She recalled Carlie as "the girl we all wished we had a classroom full of."
The slain girl's best friend became withdrawn, gained 60 pounds and began failing in school, her mother said. She described Carlie as "a little blond-haired, blue-eyed angel."
"Mandy does not make friends; the phone doesn't ring for her anymore," said Sherry Langworth. "Mandy is broken, and I don't know how to fix her."
In a written statement, Carlie's mother, Susan Schorpen, told the judge that "I want desperately for a normal life again, but I feel so broken."
Her family, she wrote, has been destroyed. Her mother died of cancer, her father is "lost," wandering in Europe, her brother died suddenly earlier this month, her son was robbed of his childhood and she is battling a drug problem.
"I have lost so much through this tragedy, and so has my family," she said.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/15/taped.abduction/index.html
Girl's videotaped abduction gained worldwide attention
Wednesday, March 15, 2006; Posted: 4:32 p.m. EST (21:32 GMT)
Joseph P. Smith also was sentenced to life in prison without parole for kidnapping and sexual battery.
SARASOTA, Florida (CNN) -- A Florida judge formally sentenced Joseph P. Smith to death Wednesday for the 2004 murder of Carlie Brucia, whose abduction was captured by a security camera and shown around the world.
"Joseph Smith, based upon your actions, you have forfeited your right to live freely among us in society and pursuant to the laws of Florida you have forfeited your right to live," said Sarasota County Circuit Judge Andrew Owens.
Owens also sentenced Smith to life in prison without the possibility of parole on kidnapping and sexual battery charges. (Watch the child killer receive his sentence -- 1:34)
Brucia was abducted and killed in February 2004, while she was walking home from a friend's house.
The car wash camera showed her being led away by a man in a blue shirt.
A jury convicted Smith, 39, in November and recommended 10-2 that he be put to death.
Owens cited a number of aggravating factors in the crime, including the kidnapping and sexual assault of Brucia, the fact that Smith killed her in hopes of avoiding arrest, and the premeditated and cruel nature of the crime.
He said that forensic evidence showed that it would have taken several minutes for Carlie to die by strangulation.
"The defendant had adequate time to reflect on whether to spare Carlie's life. He had other options available to him, but for reasons we may never know, he simply chose to ignore them," Owens said. "In fact, he not only chose to ignore those options, but the forensic evidence reveals that he held the ligature so tight around Carlie's neck that it dug into her flesh. He did not let go and ultimately carried out his senseless plan to end her life."
Begging for mercy
At a hearing last month, Smith tearfully apologized for the pain he caused and asked the judge to spare his life for the sake of his children.
He said he started using heroin at age 19 and abused drugs until the day he abducted and killed Brucia.
Smith said his memory of the crime is hazy. "I don't understand how it all happened. ... I remember thinking it was wrong, but I couldn't stop."
"I want to tell you, and Carlie's family, and my family, and this community, how very sorry I am for these terrible crimes. Every day I think about what I did, and I beg God for forgiveness," Smith said.
Owens said it was unclear whether Smith was under the influence of drugs when he killed Brucia and that his efforts to conceal the crime show that he knew his actions were wrong.
Stolen future
At last month's hearing, Prosecutor Debra Riva asked the judge to remember what Carlie went through before her death.
"Consider her inability to fight back and what she knew was looming over her," Riva said.
Carlie's relatives and friends also testified that their lives have been forever shattered by the crime.
One by one, the girl's aunts, a teacher and her best friend's mother described the impact her rape and murder had on their lives.
Two of her aunts mourned the bright and bubbly child they will never see grow up, the smiles and hugs that don't come anymore, the shopping trips and beach outings that won't be taken.
"Carlie's future and life were stolen from her -- and us, her family," said her aunt, Laurie Jane Brucia.
'Overwhelming sadness'
"Our hearts will never heal," she added. "Our family has been left with an overwhelming sadness, a void that pictures will never fill. Carlie, our hope for the future, is gone forever."
Another aunt said the crime "completely tore apart three very close families" and "destroyed marriages, friendships and family relationships."
At Carlie's middle school, classmates had trouble concentrating, met often with counselors and fell behind in school. A garden was dedicated to her memory, said Noel Gilliland, a special education teacher who said Carlie assisted in her class and "was always ready to help the underdog."
She recalled Carlie as "the girl we all wished we had a classroom full of."
The slain girl's best friend became withdrawn, gained 60 pounds and began failing in school, her mother said. She described Carlie as "a little blond-haired, blue-eyed angel."
"Mandy does not make friends; the phone doesn't ring for her anymore," said Sherry Langworth. "Mandy is broken, and I don't know how to fix her."
In a written statement, Carlie's mother, Susan Schorpen, told the judge that "I want desperately for a normal life again, but I feel so broken."
Her family, she wrote, has been destroyed. Her mother died of cancer, her father is "lost," wandering in Europe, her brother died suddenly earlier this month, her son was robbed of his childhood and she is battling a drug problem.
"I have lost so much through this tragedy, and so has my family," she said.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/15/taped.abduction/index.html
