Helping One of Our Families

Dear Family and Friends,

 
Upon our families' tragic loss of our beloved Gabe, many of you have asked how you could help. As the court hearings and sentencings proceed, we are asking for your help now.

As you know, 5 juveniles lured, ambushed, robbed and killed Gabe on 8/5/17. They sped away, leaving Gabe alone, lying dead on his back in the road. No one even called 911.

Of the five, one was not arrested on any charges because he remained in the girl's car. Another
male remains in juvenile court, and the three others have been transferred to adult (Superior)
court. Even though the only female involved, who was the driver of the car and the oldest of the
5 (a week shy of her 18th birthday) is in Superior court, she is somehow protected by a juvenile
umbrella so her name has not been released to the public. The other two, who have lengthy
criminal records, are Ronald Massagli and Lorenzo Santana.

Originally Ronald Massagli was charged with Felony Homicide and 7 other counts in Gabe's
murder. In Massagli's arrest warrant dated 8/16/17, the detectives state "While both Massagli and
his mother were aware of the severity of the case and that Massagli was a suspect in the death,
they were more concerned about the fact Massagli's Jordan sneakers were being seized (as evidence) rather than the matter at hand."

Additionally, on 8/24/17, Massagli was charged with two more counts of threatening witnesses. Massagli told one of the witnesses "Word to my mother, if you say anything, you see what happened to Gabe. You'll be gone too." Massagli sent a message to another teenager with knowledge of the case saying she "would end up like Gabe" if
she said anything.

Lorenzo Santana, who has admitted on tape that he attacked Gabe, was originally charged with Felony Homicide and 7 other counts for Gabe's murder. It was Santana's punch or punches to Gabe's head and neck area that killed Gabe. The results of the official autopsy report state the Manner of Death: Homicide and the Cause of Death: Blunt Force Trauma to the Head and Neck.

Now, to the disbelief and sadness of our family, the prosecutor has given a plea bargain to both Massagli and Santana. All of Massagli's charges have been reduced to one charge of Accessory to Manslaughter. Usually this charge would carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, but because Massagli is not yet 18, the charge has been further reduced for him by lowering the sentencing to carry prison time of anywhere from 4-15 years. And Santana's charges have all been reduced to one charge of Manslaughter. Again, because of his age, the plea bargain reduces the sentencing time to the same as Massagli's-anywhere from 4-15 years. Each of them
will be sentenced on different days in June, and it is at their sentencing that Judge Welch will be the one to determine how long a prison time each will receive.

Because of this heinous act by juveniles with extensive criminal records, Gabe is forever gone. We are all broken. There will never be another photo, ever. There will never be a graduation, or wedding. We will never know who he would have become. The grief that we feel is unbearable and it has been exacerbated by a criminal justice system that protects the criminals, not the victims. It does not provide justice. To us, 15 years is not enough prison time when a life has been so violently taken, but to think that Massagli's and Santana's sentences could be as low as 4 years is beyond belief. Gabe is gone. Forever.

And so, we are asking all of you to please write a letter to Judge Welch, expressing your feelings and encouraging him to impose the strictest sentence on Ronald Massagli and Lorenzo Santana; no less than 15 years. It's imperative to remain respectful and focus on justice, not revenge, as these letters will all be read privately by Judge Welch. For those of you that knew and loved Gabe, you can write about him and what his death has meant to you. For those of you that didn't know Gabe well, but know us, or his parents or other family, you can write of the pain and lasting damage that his murder has done to our family. We are including two sample letters to give you an idea of what you might write. The most important thing is that it come from your heart, is respectful and asks for the maximum sentence to provide justice for Gabe and the other victims-those who loved him.
 

The letters can be typed or hand written and can be sent to Jessica Pizzano at the address below. We will hand deliver these to Judge Welch at or prior to Massagli's sentencing in June. We will need to receive them by the first week in June.

On behalf of Gabe and all of his family, we thank you.

Brian and Nora Bardo
 

Please send letters to:
Survivors of Homicide, Inc.
Att: Jessica Pizzano
530 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 380
Wethersfield, CT 06109

Or by Email at jessica.pizzano@survivorsofhomicide.com