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Man found guilty of manslaughter in death of brother-in-law Date published: 10/9/2009
FRANK DELANO A Westmoreland County jury last night sentenced a 72-year-old retired policeman to five years in prison for killing his brother-in-law last year. "I'm afraid I just killed my brother-in-law," Raymond Sandifer said in a 911 call he made at 1:26 a.m. last Sept. 27. A woman's screams could be heard on the tape. But Sandifer testified yesterday that he remembered nothing about the shooting death of his sister's husband, Joel Tropper, 57, a real estate agent from Gaithersburg, Md. "I have no idea how Joel got shot. I never had a thought to kill Joel," he said. Tropper and his wife, Alice, were visiting Sandifer and his wife, Cecilia, when the shooting occurred at the Sandifers' waterfront home in Coles Point. According to testimony, the wives had gone to bed, and the husbands had stayed up drinking. According to lab reports, both men had blood-alcohol levels three times greater than required for drunken-driving convictions. Cecilia Sandifer testified that a loud noise awakened her. She found her husband standing by a gun on the dining room table and Tropper slumped in a chair. "I think I said 'You shot Joel,'" she testified. "He said, 'That's not Joel, I wouldn't shoot Joel.'" "It's a nightmare downstairs!" Cecilia Sandifer called to Tropper's wife Alice Sandifer. Both women testified that Raymond Sandifer then took the snub-nose .38-caliber revolver, fired a shot near his head and fell to the floor. Both women thought he had committed suicide. Sandifer was not injured. He was charged with first-degree murder and firearm charges later that morning at a Tappahannock hospital. Sandifer retired as a lieutenant after serving 20 years with the Metropolitan Police of Washington, D.C. He then worked several years as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Defense. He and his wife moved from Crofton, Md., to Coles Point about five years ago. "Joel and I were good friends. We always got along," Sandifer testified. "I was never aggravated with him."
That indignant smirk Ray had on the stand was wiped clean when the judge said "You took a human life and you aren't going anywhere." Except to jail, the cemetery, then a fiery hell meant just for Ray. Guess those character witnesses didn''t mean a thing--you will always be a murderer to our family. And when I get a chance to speak at the final sentencing in January the real truth will come out. We have you on tape admitting the murder and your defense attorneys are talking about prowlers in the area. Ha.
dont mix alcohol with guns...check this out if you want a good laugh
http://www.break.com/index/drunk-camper-owned-by-shotgun.html
"..then took the snub-nose .38-caliber revolver, fired a shot near his head and fell to the floor. Both women thought he had committed suicide." At first I was thinking he was suffering from a touch of alzheimer's but now I see that he is just a good actor. He kept his gun "hidden away on a top shelf"? And no one heard him or saw him retrieve it? Drunks don't walk very gracefully that's for sure so someone had to have seen or heard. I don't know. Something seems to be hidden behind that "blue wall"
5 years for taking a life?????? And he probably got a year or
two suspended plus time served he will only serve a little over
a year. I don't know what to say. If I rob someone and I have
a gun I'm going to get more than 5 years. I just have to make
sure I'm drunk, say I didn't know what I was doing and say I
never had any problems with the person. DOUBLE
STANDARDS=AMERICA
duh. you would think a man of his profession and experience would know better than to play with guns, drunk or not.
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