Personal Struggle

Originally Published November 25, 2008 by yours truly on the BDL Victim Rights Blog.

On February 5, 2007 my brother, Bryan, was killed outside a bar in Denver, Colorado. We sat silently through a trial, listening to the defense smear my brother’s name with innuendo. My family, myself included, has had a hard time reconciling the idea that Bryan isn’t with us. Since that time I have left a promising career in Business to attend Law School, with my aim being to assist victims of violent crime. Victims of crime are put in a spot where they have to fight for their rights each step of the way. Victim Rights Legislation has been passed in most jurisdictions in the USA, several of which are amendments to the various state constitutions. In 2004 the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3771, was passed and it expanded the rights of crime victims in the Federal court system. As time goes on the constitutionality of the simple rights victims of crime have been given, will be tested by defendants on appeal. They will cite the Constitution to attempt to silence one side of the story. The Defendant’s rights are protected by the U.S. Constitution. One of the lofty ambitions of this blog, and the work I will do in the future, will be to convince the government that the rights of crime victims should be protected by the U.S. Constitution.