Last year at a Lk. Michigan harbor there was a older man fishing and some punk thought it would be funny to push the man in to the lake.
The man could not swim and drowned.
The guy was caught and convicted.
10 years for man who killed Montrose Harbor fisherman
December 11, 2009 5:35 PM | No Comments
A Cook County judge sentenced a Chicago man to 10 years in prison this afternoon for the death of a Vietnamese fisherman he pushed into Montrose Harbor two years ago.
"This was a cowardly act, pushing an elderly man who he could not even look in the eye...and this defendant thought that was funny," Circuit Judge John P. Kirby said. "These actions are reprehensible and should not be allowed in civilized society."
John Haley, 33, stared in silence at the defense table as the judge spoke. In October, a jury convicted Haley of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted him of murder charges for the death of Du Doan, 62.
At trial, prosecutors alleged Haley intended to kill the victim, and another man testified that a month before Doan's death, Haley shoved him into the harbor as well. That man, Ronald Squires, was able to swim to safety, and Haley was later charged with aggravated battery for that attack.
But defense attorneys argued Haley was drunk and seeking a thrill when he pushed Doan, who could not swim, into the harbor as his back was turned in September 2007.
Kirby rejected that excuse.
"A thrill seeker puts himself in danger," Kirby said. "A coward puts others in danger."
Involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence ranging from probation to five years in prison, but Haley's prior felony drug conviction allowed Kirby to extend the prison term to 10 years.
Doan's family members said the loss of the man left an "indescribable void." Haley apologized to the family, saying he alone was responsible for the man's death.
-- Matthew Walberg
