Interstate 75 rock-throwing death

Julie Catherine Laible (32) was a professor at the University of Alabama killed by a large rock thrown at her car from an overpass while she was driving along Interstate 75 (I-75) in Manatee County, Florida, on March 28, 1999.

One of the culprits was sentenced to serve life in prison for second degree murder.

Incident

A 22 pound rock was thrown or dropped onto a passing car from the Erie Road Bridge overpass on I-75 near Bradenton, Florida by a group of four teeenagers, hitting the car Laible was driving.[1][2] Tara Sue Wells (30), a graduate student who was a passenger in the car, managed to steer it safely to the side of the road.[3] She would testify at the trials of the rock throwers.[4] The rock, which weighed 22 pounds (10.0 kg), smashed through the windshield hitting the professor in the head and inflicting a fatal injury.[5][6][7]

According to Cardenas, the three friends were bored on the evening they killed Laible, "Out of nowhere, we just decided to pick up some rocks, got to the bridges and throw them down there."[8] Cardenas also state that the group continued to throw rocks at cars even after they thought that they heard a rock hit a car.[9]

After dropping the large rock that killed Laible and injured Wells form the Erie Road Bridge, the stone-throwers went to Ellenton-Gillette Road at Interstate 275 and threw rocks at cars there.[1][10] Several other cars were damaged by rocks thrown from the Erie Road Bridge overpass during that weekend.[3][10]

Laible's death "shocked" Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, where the trials were followed closely.[11][12] Laible was an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Alabama from 1995 until her death in 1999.[13] She is remembered for her anti-racism scholarship and activism.[14]

Trial and convictions

Three of the four young men throwing rocks off the Erie Road Bridge overpass that night were arrested and charged.[15] The fourth, Antonio Hernandez (19,) was granted immunity by the court in exchange for his testimony. [16]

Juan Cardenas (19,) of Wimauma, Florida, the "alleged ringleader" in the crime,[17] was convicted of second-degree murder for hurling the rock that killed Laible.[6] Cardenas was sentenced to serve life in prison for second-degree murder.[18][19][20][21][16]

Jesus Dominguez (19,) of Ellenton, Florida, was charged with driving the truck in which Juan Cardenas and Noe Ramierez (a juvenile at the time) rode on the night of the murder.[22] During the 16 months following his arrest, Dominguez was permitted to move about freely wearing an ankle bracelet that recorded whether he was in his home or had left the house, but not his precise whereabouts.[23] In addition, the judge reduced his bail from $100,000.00 to $25,000.00, enabling his family to post bail.[23] On August 30, 2000 the night before he was scheduled to plead guilty to second-degree murder, Dominguez fled.[22][24] He was listed on the Sheriff of Manatee County's list of the five most-wanted fugitives.[22] He is believed to have been living in Matamoros, Mexico, but authorities received a tip that he would be visiting Brownsville, Texas, where he was arrested in August 2001.[22][24] Dominguez was extradited back to Manatee County.[22][25] After being returned to Florida to stand trial, Dominguez agreed to plea no contest to a charge of second degree murder, and to admit to driving the car on the night of the murder.[26] Dominguez was sentenced to serve 21 years in prison.[19]

Noe Ramierez (16,) of Palmetto, Florida was tried as a juvenile.[22] After spending 58 days in a juvenile detention facility, he was convicted of culpable negligence and sentenced to 180 days of house arrest.[26][22]

Laible's career

Laible, who grew up in Marshall County, Illinois, and earned her PhD at the University of Texas in 1995,[1][27] was an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Alabama from 1995 until her death.[28][27][29] Her work centered around finding ways to help minority youth, especially Mexican-Americans, to acquire the education and skills that lead to productive lives.[27][28] Laible's ethics-centered approach to research, explored by K.C. Mansfield in a chapter entitled, The Potency of Love and the Power of a Thousand; Reflections on Gustav Mahler and Leadership of Social Justice, describing Laible's call to fellow researchers to examine their own attitudes, thoughts, feelings and intentions before entering a setting where they would conduct fieldwork.[30]

Laible's 2002 paper, "A Loving Epistemology: What I Hold Critical in My Life, Faith, and Profession," was republished in Reconsidering Feminist Research in Educational Leadership[31], Michelle D. Young, and Linda Skrla, (State University of New York Press (2003), along with three chapters responding to Laible's ideas, "Life Lessons and a Loving Epistemology: A Response to Julie Laible’s Loving Epistemology," "Research on Women and Administration: A Response to Julie Laible’s Loving Epistemology ," and "The Emperor and Research on Women in School Leadership: A Response to Julie Laible’s Loving Epistemology ."

Memorial

An endowed lecture series, the Julie C. Laible Memorial Lecture Series on Anti-Racist Scholarship, Education and Social Activism, was created at the University of Alabama in Professor Laible's memory.[27][32][23][33]

Impact

The Florida Department of Transportation responded to the killing by installing chain-link fences on highway overpasses in Manatee County, including the Erie Road overpass overpass where Laible was killed. Statewide policy is to install such fences only on highly trafficked overpasses and those near schools.[21][34] An ex cathedra editorial in the St. Petersburg Times published in reaction to this murder demanded fencing on Florida overpasses to prevent this type of "cold blooded murder."[35]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Banta, Bob (1 April 1999). "UT grad killed by rock dropped on interstate". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Rock Tossed From Overpass Kills Professor". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "National News Briefs; Professor Killed by Rock Thrown From Overpass". The New York Times. March 30, 1999. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ Barrouquere, Brett (26 April 2000). "Passernger recalls when rock hit car". Lakeland Ledger. Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  5. ↑ St Amour, Madeline (25 August 2017). "Baby to hospital". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Teen Convicted of Killing Woman by Dropping Rock". Orlando Sentinel. April 28, 2000. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Teenagers accused of throwing brick from overpass". Tuscaloosa News. September 17, 2012.
  8. ↑ "19-year-old convicted in rock deathConcrete thrown on professor's car". The Florida Times-Union. 28 April 2000. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Schweitzer, Sarah (1 April 1999). "Teenager's arrest shocks his family". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  10. 1 2 Atkins, Ace; Girona, Jose Partona (31 March 1999). "Rock tossing didn't cease after fatal drop, troopers say". Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "Freeway Attacks". Weld. April 29, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Looking Back: 10 years ago this week". Tiscaloosa News. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Resolution Supporting the Julie Laible Memorial Lecture Series" (PDF). Faculty Senate, University of Alabama.
  14. ↑ Scheurich, James Joseph (2002). Anti-Racist Scholarship: An Advocacy. SUNY Press. p. 254.
  15. ↑ "2 More Teens Held in Rock Fatality". Bergen County Record. 3 April 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Teen gets life for killing woman with rock hurled from overpass". Ottawa Citizen. 27 May 2000. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Bradenton teen in prof's highway death gets more than 20 years". Florida Times Union. Associated Press. February 2, 2002. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Teen Gets Life For Murder With Hurled Piece Of Rock". Orlando Sentinel. May 27, 2000. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Teen gets 21 years in case of driver killed by concrete". Chicago Tribune. 3 February 2002. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  20. ↑ "Hurling of concrete chunk brings life term for Floridian". Deseret News. 27 May 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  21. 1 2 Barton, Eric Allen (17 October 2000). "Fences may discourage vandals". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Last of suspects in rock-throwing death pleads guilty". The Florida Times-Union. Associated Press. November 28, 2001. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  23. 1 2 3 "Fugitive in rock-throwing death of UA professor caught in Texas". Tuscaloosa News. August 22, 2001.
  24. 1 2 "Fugitive in Manatee rock death caught in Texas". The Florida Times Union. Associated Press. August 21, 2001. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  25. ↑ Sanders, Chris (August 24, 2001). "Florida man charged in professor's death". University News. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Teen pleads in rock-throwing death". Tuscaloosa News. November 28, 2001.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Decker, Twyla (6 February 2000). "Young Woman Who Tried to Help Minority Youth Killed by Minority Youth". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  28. 1 2 McCormick, Darleen (1 April 1999). "Victim dedicated her life to underdogs". Tampa Tribune.
  29. ↑ "Educator to Discuss Segregation, Impact on Curriculum at UA Lecture". U of A. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  30. ↑ Watson, Teri; Brooks, Jeffrey; Beachum, Floyd (2017). Educational Leadership and Music: Lessons for Tomorrow’s School Leaders. Information Age Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9781681238579.
  31. ↑ Young, Michelle; Skrla, Linda (2003). Reconsidering Feminist Research in Educational Leadership. State University of New York Press. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  32. ↑ "UA College of Education to Commemorate Julie Laible's Life in May 3 Ceremony". May 2, 2000.
  33. ↑ "Julie C. Laible Memorial Lecture Series". University of Alabama.
  34. ↑ Smith, Adam C. (31 March 1999). "Overpasses, rocks: deadly common combination". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  35. ↑ "Stop senseless highway killings". St. Petersburg Times. 2 April 1999. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.