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| A Star was born one day. Was he a celebrity? Yes, but only in the Eyes of his family and friends. |
| David's Impact Speech The State of California and The People VS. Joseph Herman England III Cheryl Lynn Moala Visalia, California Your Honor: I am the mother of the deceased, David LeRoy Wilcock. I would like to take a few minutes to express my feelings about the situation I find my family and myself thrown into. David was a beautiful person, both physically and spiritually. He had dreams and aspirations. He had plans for his future. His dreams and plans will never become a reality because in the time it takes two cars to collide, my son�s life was snuffed out. David died a traumatic and violent death at the hands of a Drunk who decided it was O.K. to drive a vehicle, knowing that he was too intoxicated to handle a car. This (person) if you can call him that... has no compassion or thought for human life. If he did, he would not have been driving after drinking and we would not be here in this court today. There is such a thing known as a DESIGNATED DRIVER. My son died, but it could have been anyone's child, parent or grandparent that died that night. David suffered a large gash to his head and severe brain damage. He also suffered a broken neck with severed spinal cords at two locations along his neck. There basically wasn't anything left of his neck except for the skin holding his head onto his shoulders. I ask "Did David Suffer"? I don't know... But I do know that he was moaning and bleeding so profusely that he was choking on his own blood. We also know that he was injured so badly that he died. He was only 24 years old. I again ask "Did he suffer"? I can only hope and pray that he did not. David's death was totally senseless, leaving my family, David's family, the Defendant's family and myself in utter despair and confusion, throwing all of us into this nightmare. The defendant "Joseph Herman England III" goes to a birthday party, a happy occasion, and he has a few drinks, then he leaves the party and goes with his friends to Bogards and Lulus to enjoy the rest of the evening and he has some more drinks. Then according to the statement in the Police Report made by Vanessa, (one of his friends, in fact the other passenger in the car he was driving when he hit David) "Joseph started acting weird, and he soon tells her he is going to take her home." Then he gets into his friends car to drive Vanessa home. This is where he makes his foolish, irresponsible and fatal decision. This is where his foolish mistake caused the life of my son. Does he care that he has killed someone? I don't know. But I do know that he has never shown any emotion at all. I have been to every court hearing concerning this person, and not once has he shown any concern or emotion for what has happened. I feel sorry for what his family is about to go through. My compassion goes out to them. I know that they don't want their son to go to prison. But I didn't want to see my son dead, either. At least in prison, they can go see their son and talk to him and he can talk back to them.. Eventually their son will be released from prison, and will be able to go on with his life. And they will be there to share his life with him. When I go see my son, guess what I see........ I see the place where eventually a headstone will be placed. I see green grass and other graves, trees and flowers. I see loneliness and quite. But what I don't see is my son.... I don't feel my son.... I don't feel his warmth radiating out from his body, because I don't see his body. It's buried 8 feet under the ground. He is DEAD, so I don't have any physical contact with him. Yes, I do talk to my son, but I don't hear any answers. I only hear the wind as it blows through the cemetery, and I hear the birds chirping in the trees. Visalia City Cemetery really is a very lonely place. Now let�s talk about anger. Yes, I have anger. I'm angry that a human being can kill another human being and not even care that he has done it. I'm angry that while my son was in Michael's car dying, that the defendant was laughing and trying to pick a fight with Michael. This offender did not even acknowledge that my son was injured and dying. Most people would be trying to help, but not this man... Obviously this shows how immature and how lacking in concern for people he is. I'm angry that the defendant is trying to shift blame onto the passenger in his car. It's pretty funny that she was found in the passenger side of the car. What did they do? Change positions. Finally, I'm angry that my son is Dead. David was a totally innocent person in this tragedy. All he was doing was going home after work. The defendant is the one who did wrong here. He is the one who should have been killed, not my son. I want to direct this question to Joseph........ Do you believe in God? Have you thought about what you are going to say to him when you are standing at the judgment bar of God? What are you going to say to David when he is standing next to you, wanting to know why you stole his life and took him away from his family? How are you going to answer them? You might want to think about this. Do you know that last thing David was talking about? He was telling Michael all about the plans that he and his wife had made for their little girls birthday that was in 5 more days, and then he was gone, just like that, like snapping your fingers, he was dead, because you killed him. You killed my son. Joseph, because you were over intoxicated, and not able to control yourself let alone a car. Guess what kind of birthday party his little 6 year old daughter had, knowing that her daddy had just been killed. David will never be here to comfort his children again. He'll never be here to kiss away their owies or to hold their hand as they get a shot, or when they get a tooth pulled. He'll never be here to comfort them if they need surgery, or even if they just scrape their knees. He won't be here to walk them down the isle of the church at their weddings, or to give them away to their spouses. He won't be here for the birth of his grandchildren. He won't be here to grow old with his wife. He'll never be here for his brother or sister. He won't be here to comfort and support them, or to counsel them, or to do the things that siblings do together. He won't be here to stand up for them, or to even be at their weddings. He won't be here in their times of need. He won't be here to share in their happiness or even in their sadness. You see, He won't be here for any of this, because he is DEAD. Our family is a very close family. We have great love and respect for one another. David will be truly missed. There will always be an empty space in our lives. One that will never be filled. A couple of months after David died I found a notebook which my husband had written in. He wrote just three little sentences. But for my husband, it tells it all, as he is not a very verbal person. " I wish I had been there the night my son left for work " " I wish I had kissed him goodbye that night. " " I'm so sorry, son. " As for how I feel. There are no words to express my grief and my anguish. I miss my son, plain and simple. I miss him every second of every minute of every hour of every day. There's not a day goes by that I don't yearn to hear his voice or to see him walking through the door. There's not a day goes by that I don't yearn to reach out and touch him, and to tell him how much I love him. I want to tell David, just how proud I am of him, and what a wonderful son he has always been. I've had no time to say Goodbye, no time to say I'm sorry, no time to say I Love you. You see, when I arrived at the hospital he was already dead. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted". Matthew 5:4. I guess comfort will come in time. But the only comfort I have now is the knowledge that I will see my son again, and that then we will never be parted again. Now let�s talk about justice. Have you ever lost a loved one through an act of violence? Perhaps by a drunk driver, a drive by shooting or maybe by strangulation. Or have you been one of the lucky ones that has never had to drink from that bitter cup? I feel justice has not been served here in this courtroom. 4 years is like a slap on the hand. Where is the justice for my son????? He is Dead... Where is the justice for his family, his children and his wife.....???? This remains as a putrid sore to our souls. Maybe if you had ever lost a loved one to such a death, then maybe you would not have been so easy with this offender. Maybe you would have given him a stiffer penalty. I feel the defendant should serve a sentence of at least 6 to 10 years. I really would like to see him sentenced to prison until David�s youngest Daughter whom is 2 years old, turns 21 years old. I feel he needs to go to alcohol and drug rehabilitation. And also make restitution to David's wife and children. I think the law needs to be changed to include viewing the body of the deceased by the offender before release from jail is granted, in fact just as soon as they sober up. (The next morning). You say this is too graphic for the offender. Well he is the one who caused the death. He should get to see what he did. How graphic was it for us, his family???? The defendant is 24 years old, the same age as my son, when he gets out of prison, he will still have time to establish a life for himself. I wonder if reality has set in for him. I wonder if he actually knows what has happened here and if he knows what the results of his actions are. Does he realize how many lives he has destroyed? Yes, he killed my son, but my son was not the only one who was destroyed. I'll close with the following thought... God is greater that any calamity, mightier than any disaster. DEATH does not have the final say... GOD DOES... |
| The Information on this page was a letter that his mother had to make in court. She did a fantastic job even though her heart and soul has been torn apart |
| Page created by: Nancy Kaye Atwood (His Aunt) |