We just got home and I only have a few moments until the girls get home from school and right now I just want to hug them super tight…
The jury came back with a NOT GUILTY for the charge of 2nd Degree Murder. This is stunning to me. Just stunning. 2 people dead at the hands of this man.
12 shots of hard alcohol in him…..almost 2 hours after the accident he was still over double the legal limit.
He was found guilty of 2 counts of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter.
At the time of the collision he had bench warrants out for his arrest, a restraining order against him, had been arrested 5-6 (I can’t remember if it was 5 or6, my mind is kind of shot) times for driving with a suspended license, STILL had a suspended license, NO insurance (we had to pay for the rest of Ian’s headstone on a credit card), no registration, had been arrested umpteen times (I would quote, but can’t remember right now the exact number) and had METH in his system and was drunk while driving. His alcohol level was estimated at the time of the accident to be a .21 which is almost 3 times the legal limit.
I think the jury was scared. When you think of murder you picture stabbings and shootings…you might not think about DUI death cases as murder until someone you love is killed. Until someone you love is crushed.
But if you stop and think about it, you know that if you drink and drive that you might kill someone, right? Yep, you do. You know if you shoot randomly into a crowd that you MIGHT kill someone, right? You might not have meant to kill someone, but you know if you shoot into that crowd that there is a chance, you WILL kill someone. We all know that getting into a vehicle intoxicated is against the law. We also know that you might kill somebody or yourself. You might not start out your drive thinking, “I’m going to go and kill somebody” but when you make that choice to drink and drive, that is essentially what you are saying. Your vehicle is your weapon and your drunken state is your ammunition.
The bartender TOLD him that he was too drunk to drive. She had also cut him off from drinking. His friend told her that he was going to drive. Shannon Shimp drove anyway. He passed 3 cars on a dangerous mountain road. He passed them on a double yellow line, on 2 blind curves. My brother-in-law was coming around the 3rd curve. He didn’t have a chance. Dead. 19 years old and his whole life ahead of him. Dead, forever. He died a horrible violent death.
At what point are we going to stop allowing people to kill our loved ones while driving under the influence and actually then have society call it what it is, murder? Had he shot both victims that day, it would be murder. Instead he got trashed and then he crashed a 12,000 pound utility truck into the driver side of Ian’s little Lexus and killed him, but that’s not murder? I think so.
Don’t get me wrong, this man will spend a lot of time in jail (The defense attorney is saying 10-17 years to the press, the District Attorney’s office is saying 17-24). Sentencing is in January. But he is a murderer. The defense attorney (his OWN attorney) actually called it in his closing statement, “The killing happened on July 22, 2008″. If it was a killing, then Shannon Shimp is a killer. He is a killer.
Nothing will ever bring Ian back. Nothing. But hopefully we can keep fighting for tougher laws, stricter sentences and more alcohol education. This man was 35 years old at the time of the collision. He was old enough to know better. His dad is a retired fire Chief, I know that he has had to lecture his children on drinking and driving many times as I am sure that he has seen his fair share of DUI fatalities.
The news will air the story tonight. If you are in San Diego, it will be on Channel 10 and Channel 7/39. I think it will be on the afternoon and evening news.
THE CHANNEL 10 NEWS REPORT (yes, that’s me…my hair is dark again)
THE CHANNEL 7 NEWS REPORT (the verdict being read)
Please talk to those around you about drinking and driving. It’s not just a hefty fine but you could cause immeasurable pain to a family and to your own family. You could kill someone or yourself.
We will be walking in the MADD walk tomorrow in honor of Ian, the timing is good for that to happen. That will be a few more steps forward in the fight against drunk driving.
The Stars quote on his headstone is from “The Littlest Prince”.
~Katie
by Katie
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