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Despite pressure to jail Corasanti, community service may be better choice

By Tony Farina

State Supreme Court Judge Sheila DiTullio
Dr. James Corasanti
Alexandria Rice

Dr. James Corasanti, 56, will be sentenced on Thursday by the same judge who presided over his highly-publicized trial last May in the hit-run death of 18-year-old Alexandria Rice in July of 2011.

State Supreme Court Judge Sheila DiTullio could sentence Corasanti to up to a year in jail on his misdemeanor drunk driving conviction in the trial in which the jury acquitted him of five felony counts.  

Last week, the State Health Department fined Corasanti $10,000 and placed him on probation for five years during which he may practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. He is also subject to random sobriety screening as a condition of the probation.

The sensational trial was heavily covered in the local media and I think it is fair to say Corasanti got the worst of the headlines in the heart-breaking case which triggered an angry outcry against the verdict that continues today, many feeling the jury got it wrong.

But the jury heard a strong case from prosecutors and decided, with the help of an excellent defense, that the evidence was not there to convict on the felony counts despite the overwhelming case for conviction blared across the local media from day one.
So now Judge DiTullio, a former prosecutor, is being urged to make up for the perceived jury error and sentence Corasanti to the maximum possible jail term of one year.

Unfortunately, no sentence will bring the young girl back to her family.  And while many people disagree with the jury’s verdict, the panel heard every word of testimony, including from Dr. Corasanti, and decided there was enough doubt on what he saw or heard that tragic night to acquit.

My view is Judge DiTullio should take into account the jury’s verdict and sentence Dr. Corasanti to community service where his professional skills could be used to help others.  Dr. Corasanti is known by his fellow professionals as an excellent doctor and, before the tragic night of July 11, 2011, was highly regarded by those who worked with him.

Sources say Judge DiTullio has received hundreds of letters urging her to put Corasanti away for the full term and it will take a great deal of courage on her part to find an alternative sentence that might not satisfy the letter writers and some in the local media who want to basically overturn the jury’s verdict.  But I believe a jail term for this man, who has already lost a great deal and faces a civil suit by the Rice estate, is not the answer. He should pay for his terrible mistake by helping others and I hope Judge DiTullio is strong enough to make what I believe is the right decision and put him to work for the community.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com Aug 14 , 2012