“Try to imagine what those who got it must have thought” — A Request and update from the Rincon Family
I am sure every reader of this blog is aware of the Rincon case — young Jose Rincon was killed while riding his bicycle on January 12 of last year. He was hit by Glenda Rumsey, who was severely intoxicated after an evening of heavy drinking at Chuy’s.
Ms. Rumsey will be sentenced at 1:30 PM on January 20 in the County Board of Supervisor’s Building at 130 W. Congress.
I am going to go ahead and post the entire email sequence I just got from Jean Gorman. The bottom email is what the Rincon family sent to their closest friends and family members the morning after young Jose Rincon Jr. was killed. Reading such a thing is chilling, but that is why the Rincons are making it public: perhaps it will help to prevent another death.
Please read all the e mail below and join in the letter writing and be present in court if you possibly can take an hour, this is for all of us, not just the Rincon family. In my 91/2 years being involved with all of you I am aware of at least 15 deaths due to impaired drivers with barely any Justice done until Paul L’Ecuyer’s case against Arrington. We must keep fighting for Enforcement and Justice, and not allow our loved ones to die in vain. Thank you
Stay safe always,
Jean Gorman
520 885 5299From: therincons
To: Jean Gorman
Sent: 1/15/2009 11:24:48 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time
Subj: Fw: Reliving “our time of sorrow”Here is the last e mail. Please forward on.
From: “Jose & Adriana Rincon”
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:57:44 -0700
Subject: Fwd: FW: Reliving “our time of sorrow”
Hi everyone,Today is January 13, and the time is 6:33 am. This is going out to you on the same day and at the same time which many of you received an e-mail from us last year for a much different, but related reason.
One week from today we will be sitting in a room asking Judge Fields to deliver “Justice”, and deliver an appropriate sentence to the woman who killed our son. As the date approaches, the emotions have been running high. We have tried hard to maintain our decorum through this process, and will continue to do so. But…these past few days have been difficult. Salpointe held its entrance exam for incoming freshman on Saturday, and that brought back a lot of painful memories of the day Guapo died. On Sunday we remembered the shock of the first sunrise without him on this earth. And yesterday was the actual date permanently and painfully engraved in our hearts.
It has been hard not to feel angry these last few days. I’m angry that my son didn’t get to start at Salpointe as so many of his friends did last Fall. I’m angry that we won’t get to see his nervous excitement over his first girlfriend. I’m angry that we won’t get to see him graduate and send him off to college. I’m angry that we’ll never see his bride walk down the aisle. I’m angry that his sisters won’t have their brother to share their lives with, and that their children will never meet their “Tio Guapo”. And I’m really angry that I have to see the hurt in my wife everyday and the anguish and concern that puts on Gaby’s and Juli’s faces.
When informed last week that Judge Fields had arranged for a larger meeting room for sentencing, I was surprised. I didn’t feel it was necessary to fill a room of 300 people for sentencing. But after reliving so many painful memories and experiencing so much hurt these past few days, I wish we could have it at McKale Center and have 10,000 people on top of her screaming for Justice. Besides, your letters have made it clear that this is not just about Guapo and Glenda Rumsey getting what she deserves. This is an issue of public safety, and the importance of the message Judge Fields will send can not be understated. “I’m here to protect, not punish” were his words at a hearing back in September. His actions on Tuesday will go a long way towards providing the protection against drinking and driving which our community deserves. That being said, one of the best ways you can help us work towards this becoming a reality is by please joining us on Tuesday, January 20th at 1:30 pm at 130 W. Congress in the County Supervisors’ meeting room.
Below is the message which went out to many of you exactly 365 days ago to the minute. If you didn’t get it then, try to imagine what those who got it must have thought and felt reading it, knowing that a promising young life was so brutally interrupted. Three days later, it was revealed that the woman who killed him had a blood alcohol of .249 more than 2 hours after hitting him. This should not have happened as she should never have been driving.
As we try and avoid this from happening again, please find it within yourself to make the necessary arrangements and free up your schedule next Tuesday afternoon. This hearing is open to the public, so please forward this to anyone in your list of contacts whom you think would have an interest in making our community safer.
Thank you.
===================================================================
———- Forwarded message ———-
Date: Sun, Jan 13, 2008 at 6:33 AM
Subject: our time of sorrowFriends and Family,
It is with a very heavy heart that we bring ourselves to write you this e-mail…
Last night, at about 7:30pm, we received a phone call which every parent fears. The individual, whose name I don’t recall, asked if I was my son’s Father. It seems he had been hit by a car riding his bike with his friend, and he was hurt bad. She told me to drive to UMC where we could be with him. The only information I got was that they were trying to revive him…
About 40 minutes later our worse fears were realized as he lay lifeless on a hospital bed..
As hard as this is for me to send to you and as I fight off the tears to do so I only do it because he touched the lives of so many of you and I know that you would want to hear it from us and not the news…
We appreciate your love, support, and most of all your prayers as we look for the strength to understand, accept, and move on.
We will have details of his services in Monday’s news paper…
God bless and let’s all appreicate what we have while we have it…
Sincerely,
Jose, Adriana, Gabriela, Julissa, and from a better place…GUAPO.
–Erik Ryberg
January 16th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
wow. That is horrible. These people seem amazing to me that they held it together like that.
January 18th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
double wow. Very moving writing from Mr.Rincon, especially considering the circumstances. I’ll be there on Tuesday.