THEY STARTED LONG AGO WHEN WE STARTED OUR FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. THE CONTINUOUS PHONE CALLS  FROM SOMEONE THAT WOULD NEVER ANSWER. THE LATE NIGHT CALLS THAT WOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. SO MUCH THAT WE BEGAN SHUTTING THE RINGER OFF AT NIGHT. THE INCESSANT CALLERS THAT WOULD NEVER UTTER A WORD. JUST THE OCCASIONAL LAUGHTER OR HEAVY BREATHING.  

THOUGH THEY SLOWED THEY NEVER QUITE STOPPED. OVER TIME WE LEARNED TO COPE WITH THE ANNOYANCE. TO DISREGARD THESE CHILDISH ATTEMPTS AT INTIMIDATION. THEY NEVER WENT BEYOND THE HEAVY BREATHING OR THE LAUGHTER, UNTIL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. THAT IS WHEN THEY BECAME VOCAL. NOW WHEN WE ANSWERED THE PHONE THEY WOULD REPLY. THEY BECAME BOLDER. SWEARING AND THREATENING. THE ANONYMITY OF THE BLOCKED PHONE NUMBER  GIVING COURAGE TO THE COWARDS ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE!  

THEY HAVE EVEN BECOME SO BOLD AS TO LEAVE THESE MESSAGES ON OUR ANSWERING MACHINE WHICH WE HAVE SAVED. YELLING INTO THE MACHINE, "F*** YOU!" THEN LAUGHING AND HANGING UP. THE LATE NIGHT CALLS AND HANGUPS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. SOMETIMES THEY WOULD SOUND DRUNK, OTHER TIMES DESPERATE, BUT ALL THE TIME MENACING! 

 THESE ARE ALL OBVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE US. TO FORCE US INTO SILENCE. BUT WHY NOW? WHY HAVE THEY BECOME SO EMBOLDENED AND RECKLESS? WE CAN ONLY GUESS. BEFORE, WHEN SAND HAD THE CASE, THEY KNEW NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. THEY HAD MADE A PACT WITH THE DEVIL AND THEY WERE CONFIDENT. WITH SAND AT THE HELM THEY ALL FELT RELATIVELY SAFE. BUT NO LONGER.  

SAND HAS BEEN FORCED TO STEP DOWN. THEIR PROTECTION IS GONE. MURDER CHARGES HAVE BEEN REINSTATED ON KYLE AND THEY KNOW THIS IS NOT THE END. IT DOES NOT END WITH KYLE. THEY KNOW WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL ALL OF THOSE INVOLVED ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THEY KNOW WE KNOW THE TRUE STORY. THEY KNOW WE KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND THEIR TRUE INVOLVEMENT. WE HAVE GIVEN ALL OF OUR INVESTIGATIVE EVIDENCE TO THE PROSECUTOR. THEY KNOW IT DOES NOT END WITH KYLE.  

WE CONFRONTED THEM AS DID OUR SON. STOOD UP TO THEM, FOUGHT BACK. SO THEY LASH OUT, AS THEY DID WITH VINNIE. BUT WE'RE NOT THERE WHERE THEY CAN SHOOT US IN THE BACK. SO THEY TRY TO DEGRADE US, INSULT US WITH ANONYMOUS PHONE CALLS. THAT IS THEIR WAY. BEHIND THE BACK. I CAN'T SAY THIS HASN'T EFFECTED US. ESPECIALLY MY WIFE. YET SOMEHOW SHE ENDURES. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH COURAGE IN A PERSON. I AM SO PROUD OF HER.  

I KNOW VINNIE IS LOOKING DOWN AND, IF IT'S POSSIBLE, MUST BE HURTING BECAUSE OF WHAT HIS FAMILY HAS TO GO THROUGH. BUT I KNOW THAT HE IS SO PROUD TO HAVE HER AS HIS MOM. NO MOTHER CAN EVER SHOW HER LOVE FOR HER CHILD MORE THAN SHE HAS. SHE HAS HAD TO ENDURE MORE THAN ANY HUMAN BEING SHOULD HAVE TO ENDURE YET SHE STILL STAYS STRONG. SHE CONTINUALLY STRIVES TO SHOW US THAT AS A FAMILY WE MUST STAY STRONG. WE MUST ACCEPT OUR FATE AND TRUST IN GOD TO HELP US CONTINUE TO FIGHT. WE CANNOT NOT LET THESE COWARDLY ACTIONS INTIMIDATE US OR DETER US!  

ON THE CONTRARY IT SHOWS WE ARE RIGHT IN OUR BELIEFS. THAT WE ARE RIGHT IN WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE THEY ARE. FROM THE KILLER, TO HIS COHORTS, TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THEY ARE DESPERATE PEOPLE DOING DESPERATE THINGS. JUST LIKE SAND DID WHEN HE COULD NOT STOP US, WHEN WE FOUGHT BACK, HE BECAME DESPERATE AND HE THREATENED US. JUST AS THEY ARE DOING NOW.  

WHAT THEY DON'T REALIZE, WHAT THEY STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING MORE TO HURT US. WE ARE ALREADY DEAD INSIDE, NUMB. EACH DAY WE GO THROUGH IS NOT THAT OF THE PRESENT BUT OF THE PAST. OF THAT ONE FATEFUL NIGHT WE LEARNED OF OUR SON'S DEATH. WHEN WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE WE SEE THE PAST. NOTHING IN THE OUTCOME WILL EVER CHANGE THAT. WE HAVE HAD THE UNFORTUNATE  OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE UGLY SIDE OF JUSTICE. WE KNOW OF NO OTHER. 

THIS WHOLE SORDID ORDEAL HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE FROM THE VERY FIRST! A HORRIBLE DREAM FROM WHICH WE WILL NEVER WAKE. SAND, SORREL, THEY ARE THE THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. JUSTICE, A GREY CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY. EACH WAKING MOMENT BRINGS WITH IT A FEELING OF HOPELESSNESS, DESPAIR. THIS ALL DUE TO THE ONE SELFISH ACT OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY ROBERT SAND WHO BROUGHT ABOUT ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT HAVE UNFOLDED AND CONTINUE TO THIS DAY.

IN VERMONT THE SCALES OF JUSTICE ARE UNBALANCED. WITH EACH WRONG, WITH EACH TILT NOTHING IS DONE TO FIX THE BALANCE. INSTEAD OF RIGHTING THE WRONGS THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEM. BUT IF THEY THINK BY CONTINUALLY THROWING ROADBLOCKS IN OUR WAY, IF THEY THINK THAT IF THEY CONTINUE THE CASE FOREVER THAT WE WILL GO AWAY THEN THEY ARE SADLY MISTAKEN. 

THE PHONE CALLS WILL CONTINUE, THE THREATS MAY WORSEN. THE PROSECUTION CAN PRETEND TO WORK FOR JUSTICE AND THEY CAN CONTINUE THIS CASE UNTIL THE END OF TIME BUT ONE THING THEY WILL NOT DO IS SHAKE OUR RESOLVE! WE WILL NEVER FORSAKE OUR VINNIE, MURDERED THAT FATEFUL NIGHT BY A BAND OF COWARDS WITH REVENGE IN THEIR HEARTS.

WE WILL GO TO OUR GRAVES WITH THE KNOWLEDGE WE DID NOT ABANDON HIM. IT IS THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OF VERMONT THAT HAS ABANDONED HIM. THE JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT WILL FOREVER HAVE THE CLOUD OF SHAME HOVER OVER THEM BECAUSE OF ONE MAN'S UNFORGIVEABLE ACT OF BETRAYAL AND THAT SYSTEM'S WILLINGNESS TO DECEIVE..