20-year-old woman allegedly kills man she believed was trying to drive over a cat
NEWS AND COMMENT-LOS ANGELES, USA: This is a very tragic story and I confess that I feel bad for this young woman, Hannah Esser, which is why I have put her age in the title. She has her whole life ahead of her and it appears, allegedly, that she completely lost her cool in an argument with a man, Luis Anthony Victor, 43, who she believed had been trying to run over a cat in his SUV.
Hannah Star Esser, 20. Image: Orange County District Attorney’s office
She confronted Mr Victor according to the prosecutors and she filmed her conversation with the man on her cell phone. The argument took place on 9700 block of Graham Street at about 8:30 PM. They both got out of their cars and argued. The young woman according to the prosecutors, “made a U-turn, accelerated and drove directly at Mr Victor”.
She hit the man with the right front of his car. He was launched into the air onto the car’s hood and windshield. He flipped several times and landed on the street according to the prosecutors’ report. He died at the scene.
The police arrested Esser later on in the evening. Prosecutors are reviewing surveillance video from nearby residences as well as the video on Esser’s cell phone.
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The event took place in front of the apartment building where Mr Victor lived. His family members are raising funds for funeral expenses and issued a statement as follows:
“We are devastated by the loss of Victor, a beloved father of five daughters, a treasured son, brother, friend, and cousin. This senseless act of violence has robbed the world of a bright light who will never be forgotten.”
Yes, it was senseless but was he such a bright light if it is true that he was about to drive over a cat which would have been a crime. Esser was stupid, and she completely lost her cool in the most dramatic and devastating way. But I, for one, can get into her head and sense how she felt. She was incensed by what she saw and couldn’t control herself. And perhaps Mr Victor said something to her which inflamed the situation and made things a lot worse. We don’t know. Perhaps she was insulted or perhaps she just hated to see a person trying to kill a cat. Perhaps she had been traumatised beforehand in some other way.
The tragedy is that she now faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life if convicted, which is going to be the ruination of her life because of 4-5 minutes of loss of control.
The Orange County District Attorney said, “This action showed a complete disregard for human life”. Well, it shows a complete disregard for the life of Mr Victor, but I wouldn’t generalise. And it also shows a very positive regard for the lives of animals. That point needs to be recognised.
Source: LA Times.
Wow how sad. A drunk driver can kill someone and get a handful of years in prison or just probation but this young woman could go to prison for life, maybe she should claim it was a drunk driving accident.