This is just so sad,,and makes me ask WHY would someone do this?? I don't call it 'playing'??

[PaulaSB12]

Elderly he is 4 years younger than I am. He is no way near elderly was there some problem with the baby some sort of unseen disability maybe? Its always seemed so odd that he endangered this child and yet his family are blaming anyone but him.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Try this: https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias...odeuncrucerorechazaunjuicioporjurado-2548730/

The lawyer's announcement is interesting.

 

[Hikergirl]

How old is this guy, I thought he was 50 but the link above says that the Chloe's mother is 37?

 

[Lynne G]

I think the age difference may be because the grandfather was the grandmother's second husband.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm starting to wonder if we're missing something. I assume you (defendant) would want a judge trial when the facts are in your favor, but the emotions are not. I would think this case would be the reverse. So why would he not want a jury trial?

I'm wondering if they think a judge will be more objective, and the more emotional response would actually be "he must be at fault, because that could never happen to me".

Or maybe he knows he's guilty, plans to go quietly to jail, and just doesn't want more people upset by having to think about it so much.

How old is this guy, I thought he was 50 but the link above says that the Chloe's mother is 37?

He's not Chloe's mom's biological father, he's her stepfather, so he may be quite a bit younger than Chloe's grandmother.

 

[luvsJack]

The only article I could find that said his age, said 51. But he looks older, to me, than 51. By definition , 65 is “early” elderly. Never heard of that but google says so . Not sure he is 65, but by comparison to people irl, he does look 60-65.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm wondering if they think a judge will be more objective, and the more emotional response would actually be "he must be at fault, because that could never happen to me".

Or maybe he knows he's guilty, plans to go quietly to jail, and just doesn't want more people upset by having to think about it so much.



He's not Chloe's mom's biological father, he's her stepfather, so he may be quite a bit younger than Chloe's grandmother.

Oh, thank you for explaining. I had no idea he was her stepfather, this whole time I thought he was her bio father.

 

[ronandannette]

Try this: https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias...odeuncrucerorechazaunjuicioporjurado-2548730/

Of course they won’t. An honest scene-reconstruction expert that can be cross-examined would explode the myth of the hazardous children’s play area and explain how far out the window he had to have been holding her. It would make no sense for the defence to serve that up on a silver platter, although it will certainly come to light.

 

[sam_gordon]

Of course they won’t. An honest scene-reconstruction expert that can be cross-examined would explode the myth of the hazardous children’s play area and explain how far out the window he had to have been holding her. It would make no sense for the defence to serve that up on a silver platter, although it will certainly come to light.

I know you've seen the articles and pictures about the reconstruction "experts" used in this case.

 

[Searc]

The only article I could find that said his age, said 51. But he looks older, to me, than 51. By definition , 65 is “early” elderly. Never heard of that but google says so . Not sure he is 65, but by comparison to people irl, he does look 60-65.

He was 51 when Chloe was killed.

 

[fly girl]

My best guess is why he went with judge over jury -- I think Puerto Rican media has crushed all of Anello's claims, so he believed a jury would be biased versus a judge who is strictly looking at facts.

Isn't La Comay a one of the most popular shows on television in PR? And who knows if they could even find a jury who has not heard of or knows very little about this case. His legal team probably told him his best chance is with a judge trial. And gee, throwing out color blind reconstruction? hmm . . . probably because his color blindness didn't play a factor in this case.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

My best guess is why he went with judge over jury -- I think Puerto Rican media has crushed all of Anello's claims, so he believed a jury would be biased versus a judge who is strictly looking at facts.

Isn't La Comay a one of the most popular shows on television in PR? And who knows if they could even find a jury who has not heard of or knows very little about this case. His legal team probably told him his best chance is with a judge trial. And gee, throwing out color blind reconstruction? hmm . . . probably because his color blindness didn't play a factor in this case.

It's clear he cannot claim it as an excuse unless being color blind hinders your ability to know if your head was banged into a closed window or not when you obviously leaned out of it.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

It's clear he cannot claim it as an excuse unless being color blind hinders your ability to know if your head was banged into a closed window or not when you obviously leaned out of it.

That's what doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me with the claim he didn't know the window was open. You can see from the video how much he leaned over the railing that it's hard to imagine that his head wouldn't have been super close or over the window frame. I'm sure experts could probably even analyze the video of the angle of his upper body over the railing in terms of the distance to the window and his upper body height and show this.

I think a problem with the previous assessment and pics of someone of his same height having had to stand on the railing to lean over didn't account for differences in upper body vs lower body height, cuz Anello was clearly from the video able to lean over further than the person who was supposedly the same height was able to.

 

[backformore]

If I drive with my child in the car, unbuckled, and they die - I'm guilty of negligent homicide. Or if I leave a young child at home alone and a fire breaks out and they die. Or if I don't supervise when they're in my pool, or I let them play on the roof, or leave a loaded gun lying around, etc. There are infinite ways that a child can die when adults aren't using good judgement. Adults are held responsible when they use poor judgement and a child dies. that's all this case is about. if he's too "elderly" or frail, or has vision problems, well, then why was he supervising the child in the first place? If you don't have the ability to tell if a window is open or closed, then stay away from windows.

The parents contention that there should be warning stickers on windows that windows OPEN, or that people shouldn't put kids on railings - that makes me mad. Windows open, railings aren't safe, if you can't figure that out without a written warning, then don't be in charge of kids. Accidents happen, sure. But people need to take responsibility, and not whine that the cruise ship didn't prevent someone from using poor judgement.

I would have a lot more sympathy for this guy if it weren't for the parents trying to blame the cruise ship.

 

[frog3101]

I have not followed this case closely, but just read he did indeed plead guilty to negligent homicide. Didn’t read the article, just the headline, so not sure what happened or why he decided to plead guilty.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Here's an article about the latest update:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc7news.com/amp/5967597
From the article:
"SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- An Indiana man accused of dropping his granddaughter from an 11th floor window of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico last year has changed his plea to guilty the day after he declined his right to a jury trial.

Salvatore Anello, who is charged with negligent homicide in the death of 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand.

His attorney filed the change of plea Tuesday, ABC News reports. A hearing date has not yet been set.

Anello's attorney released a statement, saying, "This decision was an incredibly difficult one for Sam and the family, but because the plea agreement includes no jail time and no admission of facts, it was decided the plea deal is in the best interests of the family so that they can close this horrible chapter and turn their focus to mourning Chloe and fighting for cruise passenger safety by raising awareness about the need for all common carriers to adhere to window fall prevention laws designed to protect children from falling from windows."

The death occurred in July 2019 as the girl from Granger, Indiana, vacationed with her family aboard the Freedom of the Seas of Royal Caribbean Cruises. Anello has said he did not know the window was open when he lifted Chloe to it so she could bang on the glass.

Puerto Rico Attorney General Dennise N. Longo Quinones released a statement, saying, "The Puerto Rico Department of Justice has diligently prosecuted the charges against Salvatore Anello in order to bring justice to Chloe's unfortunate death. The defendant filed a motion yesterday afternoon expressing his intent to plead guilty and asking for a hearing date where the Court may accept his change of plea. Anello's decision to so proceed is wholly within his discretion and will become binding only upon his appearing before the Court to voluntarily plead guilty."

Wiegand's family has sued the cruise ship company, accusing it of negligence by allowing the window in the ship's children's play area to be open."

 

[monsterkitty]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...accepts-plea-deal/ar-BB10ojF5?ocid=spartandhp

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sounds like he is getting a good deal.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...er-death-cruise-ship-window-plead-GUILTY.html
"Michael Winkleman, a civil attorney representing the Wiegand family here in the US, confirmed Anello’s abrupt u-turn in a statement to DailyMail.com

‘This decision was an incredibly difficult one for Sam and the family but because the plea agreement includes no jail time and no admission of facts,’ he said.

‘It was decided the plea deal is in the best interests of the family so that they can close this horrible chapter and turn their focus to mourning Chloe and fighting for cruise passenger safety by raising awareness about the need for all common carriers to adhere to window fall prevention laws designed to protect children from falling from windows.’

Anello has lodged his plea with the court according to news reports in Puerto Rico, although DailyMail.com understands he will still have to appear before a judge to give it in person before sentencing.

Negligent homicide can be punished with a three-year prison sentence under the Puerto Rican criminal code however prosecutors will likely recommend a period of probation that can be completed in his native Indiana.

Sources close to Chloe’s parents Alan and Kimberly Wiegand say the guilty plea will not change their belief that Royal Caribbean is ultimately responsible for her death.

 

[lorimay]

He made the right move, IMO
He will live in his own H*** for the rest of his life.
I hope this means they will drop the lawsuit against RCCL.

 

[John VN]

He made the right move, IMO
He will live in his own H*** for the rest of his life.
I hope this means they will drop the lawsuit against RCCL.

bold > IMO, dropping their suit would be "the intelligent" thing to do.

 

[ronandannette]

bold > IMO, dropping their suit would be "the intelligent" thing to do.

If you’ll notice, the statement says the guilty plea spared him jail time AND stipulated no admission of facts. This is pivotal in the civil suit moving forward and means RCCL basically still has to prove themselves innocent.