Saturday, October 31, 2009

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE DOMESTIC ABUSE HELPLINE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

The Domestic Abuse Helpline (DAHMW) celebrates an anniversary! The DAHMW celebrates nine years of offering supportive services to victims, survivors, concerned family members and friends as well as bringing public attention to the needs of victims of domestic violence today! DAHMW does not have any paid staff so it is only through the generosity of volunteers who work tirelessly to bring this issue to the forefront and provide much needed support and services that we continue to do this work. Please consider making a donation to help us increase our ability to do outreach and make services available to men, children and women! Thanks Please donate today: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/207697

ALFRED, Maine — Kimberly Spampinato gave little reaction Thrusday in York County Superior Court when sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband, but tearful sorrow was seen among family members of the murder victim.

Spampinato, 42, who pleaded guilty in August to killing 39-year-old Christopher Spampinato by setting him on fire while he slept, also was sentenced Thursday afternoon to a concurrent 30-year sentence for one count of arson. She has the right to appeal.

“There is only one sentence that can be imposed,” said Justice Paul Fritzsche after reiterating the reasons for the sentences.

Both sentences, he said, were the maximum the state of Maine could issue, although “there is nothing we could do that is meaningful to assist the (family of the Christopher).”

On Jan. 8, while Christopher slept, Kimberly Spampinato, doused him and rolled up newspapers in gasoline, setting the paper and her husband on fire in his Wells apartment, said Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese, a state prosecutor in the case.

Christopher ran out of the apartment and was found by police badly burned and sitting in a snow bank that night, she said.

He died nine days later on Jan. 17 in the burn unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to court records.

Spampinato set her husband on fire because he wanted a divorce and was having a phone relationship with a Texas woman, Nicki Lowhorn, according Marchese.

Though her attorney, Sarah Churchill, was arguing for a lesser sentence, Kimberly Spampinato told the court she'd be “relieved” to get life in prison. Amy McGarry is Spampinato's other defense attorney.

Fritzsche said that although it was Kimberly Spampinato's right not to apologize or show remorse for her actions, the lack of such during the sentencing showed that a life sentence without parole was applicable.

The York County judge also noted that from letters written from Kimberly Spampinato to Christopher's family it appeared that she “enjoyed” or “reveled” in his death, which was a certain rarity among even most murders.

During the courtroom sentence hearing, members of Christopher's family gave emotional statements encouraging that she has a history of violence and should be sentenced to life.

“Sometimes I can wake up and smell the burn unit where I watched him die slowly,” said Christopher's sister, Jennifer Cabot, reading from a statement. Cabot said she wanted to be able to remember her brother for the “amazing person that he was.”

Kimberly Spampinato's attorneys said she had a terrible childhood, mental illness and did positive things in her working -life, where she was a nurse's assistant.

Churchill said her Spampinato's youth included sexual abuse and that she was working through her struggles with counseling and medication.

Fritzsche acknowledged those circumstances, but said by Spaminato setting her husband on fire, the situation became “extreme cruelty,” which was due cause for the sentence.

He also noted that public safety was a major concern by Maine courts.

While a few people, including Spampinato's ex-husband, gave statements that she should get life in prison, no one spoke on Spampinato's behalf.

She was quickly ushered out of the courtroom after the sentencing, while the victim's family gave each other hugs.

Outside the Alfred courthouse, Christopher's mother, Ann Cabot, convened with other family members. She was wearing some of her son's ashes around her neck.

Jennifer Cabot was, too.

“It's all done; everything is done,” Ann Cabot said, pausing to look up at the nearly cloudless sky. “She wanted life. She got it.”

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men & Women is in America's Giving Challenge—Let's win $50,000!

Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men & Women is in America's Giving Challenge—Let's win $50,000!

Hi everyone, Our cause just entered in America's Giving Challenge, which gives us a chance to win $50,000! Please donate today: http://www.causes.com/donations/... To win, between now and November 7th we have to get the most donations to our cause (every person can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 and $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period. The great thing about this Challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in our cause. We all need to come together and start promoting the cause if we want to win. Each of us has tons of friends on Facebook who we can ask to donate to our cause. But let's think big too—can you put our cause in your email signature, can you throw a party and get people to donate through the cause when they enter, can you organize other people to go out and fundraise from all of their friends? As you reach out to your friends be sure to tell them why this cause matters to you. The possibilities are endless so let's talk about what we can do to win on the Wall of the cause or by replying to this bulletin. FYI, you do not have to be a member of Facebook to donate to the cause. I think we can do it! But it's going to take all of us. Check out the Giving Challenge ( www.causes.com ), then visit our cause to see how we're doing so far and get involved. Donate right now by going to http://www.causes.com/donations/... Let's win $50,000 for our cause!