(A furor has erupted over the Thursday release of former South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation executive director Darla Lapeyre for her conviction for negligent homicide by 404th District Judge Elia Cornejo-Lopez less than one month into serving a six-month jail term. Over objections from the DA’s Office, Cornejo-Lopez ordered her released from her sentence for the February 2011 accident that resulted in the death of motorcyclist Jimmie Leonard Anklam of Michigan. Cameron County DA Luis Saenz admonished his staff for not notifying the victim's family before her release.)
By Michelle Davis
I am Jimmie Anklam's niece, and this accident has devastated our family.
It is a shame that not only were the intoxicated manslaughter charges lowered, but early on the “driving without insurance” charges were also dismissed. In addition to that, my Aunt was also injured in this accident, and sustained serious injuries, there have been NO CHARGES filed in regard to her injuries.
Ms. Darla Lapeyre still has her license, her job, and her life.
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Not only did I watch my cousin get married without her Dad present, missing the ever important Father- Daughter dance (my Uncle was an Amazing Dancer…and this dance was a high point of her older sisters wedding).
As the article stated my other cousin give birth to her second daughter, a little girl who will never know her amazing grand father. I have witnessed her first daughter still inquiring to her Mom…about where her Papa is…and the subsequent, repeated gut-wrenching explanation to a four-year-old that Papa is now in heaven. When she asks…why? No one can really respond.
My father is Jimmie’s older brother, beyond that they were best friends and talked several times a day, the loss of his brother and the subsequent dismissal and lowering of charges has added insult to injury for our family.
My father is Jimmie’s older brother, beyond that they were best friends and talked several times a day, the loss of his brother and the subsequent dismissal and lowering of charges has added insult to injury for our family.
I have watched my father become depressed due to grief and loss, disillusioned with the justice system, and experience serious health complications due to stress since the accident. I am a licensed mental health provider, and as such I am well aware of the impact that stress has on an individuals health. Since the loss of his brother my father has had cardiac issues, heart surgery, and an overall worsening of his other medical conditions.
The reality is that due to Ms. Lapyere’s actions that day, my sister’s and I will likely lose our father earlier due to the decline in his health due to grief and stress.
I have heard although I am not sure if its true that a city official posted Ms. Lapeyre’s bail and that she is related to a Mayor of a near by city, I can’t help but wonder what impact her political connections may have on her extremely lenient, almost non-existent repercussions for her actions.
I have heard although I am not sure if its true that a city official posted Ms. Lapeyre’s bail and that she is related to a Mayor of a near by city, I can’t help but wonder what impact her political connections may have on her extremely lenient, almost non-existent repercussions for her actions.
It is a terrible thing to be so far away and feel so helpless when something so egregious happens. I wouldn’t wish this upon any family.
To summarize ~ Ms. Lapyere works for the South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation. She is in charge of business development.
To summarize ~ Ms. Lapyere works for the South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation. She is in charge of business development.
She was allegedly drunk, and driving without insurance when she caused an accident that killed one person and seriously injured another, she still has her license, her job, and will likely serve no jail time (one month). She may not even be monitored on probation. It is alleged that a public official posted her bail.
I can’t help but wonder if everyone would have received such a minimal sentence, or if this is just Ms. Lapyere who is able to manage this. I have known of individuals who have served more time on an alcohol related probation violation, when the original charge did not include alcohol and NO one was injured, than Ms. Lapyere will receive.
I ask people reading this to reflect upon how they would feel if this were their family member. who was killed / injured, and do you think if you were the driver you would have received such minimal sentence?
I ask people reading this to reflect upon how they would feel if this were their family member. who was killed / injured, and do you think if you were the driver you would have received such minimal sentence?
It would be great to get some support from people in the community, stating that it isn’t okay to run over and kill tourists, and pretend it doesn’t happen.
Is Ms. Lapeyre really the kind of person and is this the kind of situation you want to represent your community?
32 comments:
She got off with a slap on the wrist because the Franke brothers want it that way. Money talks. Had it been anyone else facing the original charges she was arrested for - that driver would be rotting away in prison for years.
Welcome to the RGV judicial system, where Lady Justice is influenced by politics and money.
She was not even drunk! At the hearing that led to her early release over thirty people appeared to ask the judge to release her. They all said she is a good person. Members of the board at the Padre Island EDC were also present, they all said she was a good person.
It was an accident, people are sorry, life goes on.
The corruption and injustice would be to allow a bitter family to control the DA's office with threats of bad publicity, all the while a person would sit in jail who did not deserve to be in jail.
Everyone involved is sorry that someone died, but if he had been driving a car and not a motorcycle chances are he would not even have been scratched.
KUDOS to those people who were brave enough to stand up for Ms. Lapare when the system had failed her.
I thought she was under the limit?
how did she get indicted in the first place if she was never over the legal limit?
PENDEJOS DA SHOULD NEVER HAVE CHARGED THE INNOCENT WOMAN IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!
Pinche Villalobos probably wanted to get Lapayre fired so his girlfriend could have her job at the island. It was a major injustice that Laparye was ever indicted.
AVENTO LA JUEZA! below the limit = innocent!
Obviously Cornejo-Lopez has not respect for victims and didn't ask the "elephant question"...was the victims family notified. And Luis Saenz seems to be out of the loop in his own office. Doesn't Luis review cases or have his "Deputy Dawg" review cases for him and report to him on issues going to trial. Luis is blaming his staff....but he is where the "buck stops"....Luis is supposedly in charge. The judge is an asshole and the DA is an asshole....taking the defensive for something they were supposedly elected to do.
only in caermon county can you find a judge with so much disgrace to allow a person to walk away like this, no respect for the law judge elia cornelo lopez nothing but dodo like her cousin sofie mata benavidez, guess she got a bribe too. i would not doubt it and it has always crossed my mind that she is worthless and corrupt like limas and other corrupt attys and judges. nothing but shame and filth.
THIS IS SOUTH TEXAS JUSTICE AT ITS BEST....CAMERON COUNTY. SAME JUDGE THAT HAS BEEN MENTIONED IN THE LIMAS' CASE....CAMERON COUNTY CORRUPTION. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO GAIN FROM THIS ARTICLAR...? NOTHING! I FEEL FOR YOUR LOST....BUT AGAIN THIS IS SOUTH TEXAS JUSTICE. CAMERON COUNTY FRIENDLY COURT TO WHOM? CAMERON COUNTY POLITICAL CONNECTIONS...AT WORK. MONEY TALKS BULLSHIT WALKS!!!! REMEMBER THAT WHILE YOUR HERE IN SOUTH TEXAS CAMERON COUNTY..YOUR IN A WORLD OF SHIT THE CORRUPTION...COUNTY.
This poor decision has sunk any thought of re-election for the judge. The 404th court is now open to any attorney who wants to be elected. The citizens of Cameron County will not forget.
Dont expect justice from local government. U need to address ur issue with federal government. FBI office in Brownsville will investigate who got bribed for this case. Report! !! Attorneys and judges rely on ignorance and intimidation to engage in criminal activity. Look at Armando villalobos and gang. They were doing the same thing. Shame on u Luis saenz u ended up the same as previous administration!!!!
She did exactly the same thing as Alejandro Petrocioli, but Alex got six years TDC (prison). Lapeyre got 6 months county jail (later reduced to 45 days). Why, I wonder? Because Alex was Mexican? Lapeyre a gringa? What's the real reason, I want to know. Sounds to me like we have two different judicial criminal systems. One for the gringos and one for the Mexicans? Charlie Willette admitted bribing Limas, but he was given a pass. He was even allowed to retire to Colorado, puras mamadas!
Her blood alcohol level was below the limit and she still got jail time?
Pinche Luis Saenz es muy cabron!!!!!
She killed a man and seriously injured his wife. She had been drinking. She should have at least served the six months in prison. We can all see that she was given extremely special treatment because of who her bosses are. That is why the victims' family was not notified by the DA's office. We can all see that money still buys special treatment in Cameron County courts.
HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE PEOPLE WITH DOCTORATE'S DEGREES MAKING THIS KINDS OF MISTAKES THAT ONLY BENEFIT THEMSELVES? LUIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP EXCUSING YOUR STUPIDITY YOU NEED OUT.
IN THE HISTORY OF LAW THIS IS THE FIRST PERSON THAT GETS A .07 ALCOHOL LEVEL. SHE BROKE A RECORD, AND OF COURSE JUDGE CORNEJO BELIEVED HER. WAIT TILL THE FEDS GET A HOLD OF THIS ONE CORNEJO. REMEMBER, IN YOUR COURT IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE! I HOPE THEY FIRMLY APPLY IT TO YOU AND DUMBASS LUIS SAENZ IS RUNNING OUT OF EXCUSES!
Why did her lawyer let her plead guilty if she was not even drunk? Is there a differensce between intox. manslaughter and Neg. Homicide?
Sounds like the injustice here was served up to Ms. Lapare like a bowl of crap. The Anklams are lucky to have even gotten Ms. Lapare to plea guilty. A jury would have found her not guilty. They should stop complaining.
This could have all been prevented if Lapare hired a real lawyer like Nat Perez.
She committed a traffic infraction (not DWI) that took a life. If she would not have run that stop sign, or failed to yield or whatever it was that man would be alive. No one made her do what she did and when it resulted in the wreck and the loss of life she has to take responsibility, voluntarily of otherwise.
Every time something like this happens somebody always knows a gringo who got off easy. We live in a community dominated by Hispanics with Hispanics making the decisions. It was a Hispanic judge and I bet the prosecutor was Hispanic, too. But they are apparently controlled by Anglos. Why do you think that Hispanics can not be in charge? And why can't they make all the same mistakes as any other ethnicity?
YOU BUNCH OF INEPT MF'S! IT'S NOT A NECESSITY TO BE AT .08 + TO BE CHARGED OR GUILTY OF DWI. READ CH 49 OF THE TEXAL PENAL CODE BEFORE YA'LL OPEN YOUR TRAPS!
The D.A. In Austin got 45 days in JAIL for D.W.I.! A man in San Maros Tx. Got LIFE for D.W.I........get your head out of your BIG BIG Fucking Ass Judge .......
You should give your D.A. a Drug Test ask Juan .?
Drug test your D.A.
The Judge got 500 Tacos for this deal......Fat Ass
My understanding is that this was not a DWI. The state apparently could not prove intoxication, I was told by someone close to the case that there is a video of the field sobriety tests and that Ms. Lapare looks sobre in the video.
INTOXICATION IS DEFINED BY NOT HAVING THE NORMAL USE OF ONE'S MENTAL OR PHYSICAL FACULTIES BY EITHER ALCOHOL, DRUGS OR OTHER INTOXICANTS.
THE LAW sets a legal limit at .08, however a person could be .07 and still not have the use of his or her mental faculties! Hell a person could be .12 and BE IN FULL POSSESSION OF his or her mental faculties. If Lapeyre failed to control her car, i.e., thus running over a person, she obviously DID NOT HAVE THE USE OF HER MENTAL AND PHYSICAL FACULTIES!!! it doesn't matter that she was under the limit. It's a totality of the circumstances analysis! ANDABA PEDA!
TU ERES EL PENDEJO! You probably don't know shit about the facts of the case, other than what the victims are telling you, PENDEJO!
Justice is a balancing act, not a one sided, proposition. Accusing a Judge and a DA of corruption whithout knowing the facts is just plain ignorant.
Perhaps there is no problem here other than a pendejo blog commenter . . . Namely YOU!
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You know who the pendejos are? The people of Brownsville who can"t speak English or Spanish.
And the pendejos keep having bike fest at the island. Pendejos don't they know open season has been declared on all bikers. Member the good old days when the drunk drivers would kill pedestrians on the unlit streets of spi and the college girls were being raped. If they hasn't gone to spi they wouldn't have been harmed. That kind of reasoning whether for bikers, hikers or college gals cannot be accepted.
is she related to the ex mayor city mayor's laprye's family from brownsville? maybe there is a connection there right? who knows, what knows, whom knows? guess a life aint worth much these days anymore especially in cameron county. get out of jail in 30 days or less for these types of crimes. wow never thought i see the day like this.
For all of you who "feel" for Ms. Lapeyre and have called this just an accident and not in connection with drinking, please keep in mind Ms. Lapeyre pled guilty to negligent homicide. She did not have to do that - she could have said she was innocent and gone to trial. Ms. Lapeyre and her supporters need to understand that there consequences for decisions. Well, I guess in Ms. Lapeyre's case there actuall isn't.
Why put a person in jail who actively and positivelycontributes to society? Why send her back to jail and waste our tax dollars supporting someone who is able to support herself should she remain out of jail under strict probation in her home? If she is sent back to jail she will most definitely lose her job and therefore become dependent on the welfare system after her release wasting more of our tax dollars. Save the jail space for a real criminal!
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