Topic : 03/16 Cheerleader Scandal

So much pain and anger on both sides.  I really felt more for the lady who lost a son.  I can understand her bitterness, but I can't understand letting it control their lives.  Brandi getting a 12 year sentence was a slap in the face to this family, and so were some of the Brandi's parents comments to them.  Although Brandi Dad felt Daniel's family wanted revenge I couldn't see where they were offering anything more.  I don't mean to say I know their pain for I can't imagine the loss.  I am the mother of one son and he is my life, although he has graduated college and moved on, he is still the love of my life and I can't image God taking him from me, so I see how unbelievably difficult it would be to manage.  Brandi will be back out of prison when she is 29 years old, 29 years old.....in  the prime of her life, how is this justice?  From the facts presented I feel Brandi intentionally hit Daniel and should be punished, God says an Eye for an Eye.... but I also know to live with anything so painful the key it begin healing and that can't begin until you forgive from the heart and ask God to help you get through it.  I think both families need councelimg and prayer.  I wonder if they ever think of what they are teaching the children left at home?   

I am shocked about the way that this was dealt with by Dr. Phil.  The show should have been called "We believe she is innocent" She is guilty of killing another human being, regardless of the fact of his abuse or not. She is guilty of ruining not only her own life but all the lives involved. My heart goes out to the family of Daniel, I feel they were sitting there feeling like they were being raked over the coals of hurt again having to hear what her family said to their faces. Brandis' family is so caught up in themselves they can't see what this has done to his family. Believe me, Brandi may be in prison but it is far from a punishment , she gets to have a job to keep her mind off what she has done , she get s to have a LIFE, she can even go to college and get a degree, she gets to talk to her family and have visits. I know for a fact that prison is more like adult day care then a punishment. Inmates have more rights than people walking the street. WHAT does Daniel get ?? Nothing!  no LIFE>What does his family get? They get to go on the Dr. Phil show and be upset more than they already are. 

Dr.Phil asked what good would it do to keep her in for any longer than she already has been....My question is If that is how you feel about the sentencing then why sentence any one for any crime they commit? The only real way to punish someone for what they have done is to give them a conscience. I doubt that Brandi or her family has one of those. Being locked up forces you to look at wha you have done, but it can't make you be really sorry for what you  have done, only really sorry you got caught. 

I just finished watching today's show, and as I sit here reading some of these remarks I feel compelled to share an experience that happened to me. I remember it just like it was yesterday. I was 17 years old and was at my boyfriend's house celebrating New Years Eve 98 with him when the evening took a nasty turn. Completely out of nowhere he started threatening me, himself, his pets, anything he could think of. It took me almost an hour to get the situation to the point that I could safely get in my car and leave. At least, that's what I thought. As I tried to back out, he reached into his truck, grabbed something I couldn't make out (it was getting close to midnight) and went through the motions of slitting his throat and falling to the ground. I freaked out, slammed on brakes, and got out to see what was going on. Well, it was all a hoax, and the next thing I know he's trying to grab a hold of me and keep me from leaving. I ran back to my car, jumped in, and floored it. I looked back into my rearview mirror and saw him chasing my car and subsequently throwing himself onto it in an attempt to stop me. I slammed on brakes, he fell off into the grass to the side of the road, and I hightailed it home to the safety of my family. While every bit of this was going on, his family later admitted they were sitting inside their trailer eavesdropping and watching, but not doing a thing to stop it.  

The point of me sharing this is to let people know that things aren't always what they seem, so let's not jump to conclusions. Whether Brandi is innocent or not is not for me to decide as I am not a judge/lawyer/jury member or anything of the sort. Please don't be so quick to condemn Brandi or Daniel for the things that happened that evening. What do we really know about love and life at 17? As awkward, confused teenagers things happen in our lives that in just a few short years we have absolutely no explanation for and, with an adult brain, can't possibly understand. Let's all just say a prayer for every single person involved in this that they may get some peace in their lives.  

I am Very Sad that people talk like the parents of Brandi shouldnt be hurt (All we have to go on is what each parent had to say) and if you listened today each parent blamed the other. I do feel for Danail's parents it is just horable to think that you could loose a son at any age but as a teenager this is very sad. I also feel for Brandi's parents because they to are hurting and lost a child, yes there daughter lived but it has torn there family apart her brother is being punished for something he had no control over. So we can all think or say shame on Brandi's parents for wanting her out of jail, and for speaking out, But any way you look at it they have just as much right as Danial's parents. Because honestly and I do me HONESTLY if the shoe was on the other foot and think before you answer if this was your child how would you want it handled. 

(I THINK I WOULD WANT MY CHILD TO DEFEND HIS OR HER SELF BUT I WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO HURT AND SPEAK OUT FOR MY CHILD) I do feel for both familys, But lets not take one or the other side lets pray that they both can over come there anger and start healing instead of the hate they both are feeling forone another. 

That's a good suggestion. A lot depends on how much evidence still exists. They may or may not have taken plaster casts of the tire tracks or even photos of the scene. The car Brandi was driving that night may be long gone by now. 

I get the feeling (although I may indeed be wrong) that all they've got is the initial police report. I am thinking that because Brandi eventually accepted a plea deal, they didn't spend a lot of time working the crime scene. But this is only a guess on my part. 

With that said, Dr. Lee is indeed amazing. I've read one of his books and I could hardly put it down.  

It doesn't really matter if it was an accident or not. It is a matter of responsibility. This is why our justice system has different degrees of homocide. There is first and second and third degree murder, and voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. (There are probably other sub divisions but I am not a lawyer.) That's why decisions like if a murder was premeditated or not are taken into account. Brandi clearly acted irresponsibly and that is why she is being punished. 

I don't think that she got the keys planning on killing Daniel. It would be extremely hard to plan killing someone by running them over with a car. But even if he supposedly jumped in front of the car, (which is plausible if he wanted to commit suicide or was cocky enough to think that she would stop) she still ran him over and left. Even if it was negligence, it still was negligence and ended up as a homicide. Even if you kill someone through negligence you can still be convicted of manslaugher or murder. That is why there are tougher laws now for drunk drivers, I doubt that drunk drivers pick up the keys and say that they want to run someone over and destroy the lives of the family members. But they put themselves in a negligent position hence you can be convicted of murder if you drink and drive. It is completely irresponsible behavior. 

Even if it was an accident, why did she steal her mother's car (yes, I use the word steal) and then make up a lie afterwards? Even if it was an accident she had no right to be driving a car that wasn't hers. She also had no right to be driving if she was emotionally upset like she and her family claim. That is endangering the lives of others and herself. Just as much as being drunk would. When my dog died I road the bus for a week because I was so emotionally messed up that I knew that it would be IRRESPONSIBLE to endanger the lives of others and myself by driving. 

Yes she was only 17 and teens make bad decisions. But a car can be a lethal weapon and if the law says that you are old enough to drive (which is 16 in most states) you are old enough to take responsibility for your actions and to not put yourself into a position that could tragically affect other people's lives.  If we are going to use age as an excuse then teenagers should not be allowed to drive since they are too emotionally unstable. 

That is why I feel that Daniel should spend some time in prison and I feel like justice was served in her having a 12 year sentence (maybe she should have had more or less time depending on the circumstances but that is not for me to decide.) If she supposedly was innocent she should have taken it to trial. 

I feel for both families... Do I think Brandi did it intentionally? NO.. I Think it was an accident.. I myself at the age of sixteen got involved with a guy with much of the same background as they described Daniel having.  I dated him for many years thinking he would change that the abuse and anger would change if he had some one to really love him.  I was much too wrong.. Every time I said I was going to brake up with him he would tell me he was going to kill himself if I ever left him and he would make it look like my fault, or if I dated someone else. who ever I dated he would kill us both.    Looking back now I should of known not to date him from the start we were from totally different backgrounds.  but as I am sure Brandi now knows hind sight is 20/20.  I hope Brandi gets out soon and she can start a new life and forgive herself for the mistakes she has made.  For Daniels family, I can't imagine what it is like to lose a child, or brother for that matter.  But it has to be in God's grand plan.  And though you can never forget you need to forgive, not for the sake of Brandi for the memory of Daniel and yourself.  When you can't forgive it haunts you everyday and it wears on you, it doesn't hurt the person it is directed at, it hurts you. 

How can anyone say exactly who is at fault here though the only ones who really know what happened are Brandi and Daniel.  I think Brandi took the plea bargain because she was young and felt guilty for his death.  I feel she did not do it on purpose, she was a good child who just got into a bad situation and now for the rest of her life she has to go to bed at night and deal with the fact that she killed someone she cared deeply for at one point.  Don't you think that is sentence enough.  I DO!