An elderly woman sat through family members’ sobbing testimonies, refusing to apologize for killing their 8-year-old daughter. Despite her expressing no remorse, the judge decided to give her an outrageous punishment for her horrific crime.
For centuries, the West has exemplified the ideas of righteousness and civility, virtuously combining both in our judiciary system. Although our courthouses were created to punish criminality and deter delinquency, there are still cases that veritably slip through the cracks, leaving society with a hunger for justice. Unfortunately for the family of 8-year-old Khloe Nida, this seems to be the reality.
While Khloe was carrying milk from her driveway into her home, 77-year-old Gloria Bartek barrelled through a church parking lot, crossed a busy street, and sped into the yard, running over the little girl, according to WGHP. Although Bartek claimed that her car malfunctioned, investigators found that she never even attempted to hit her brakes.
“We certainly have a lot of hard questions as to what happened and why,” attorney Craig Bashein said. “From the beginning, it seems like this driver has not taken responsibility for what occurred. Immediately after the accident she claimed a defect or a problem in her motor vehicle, that would cause her car to travel what appears to be over 200 yards at a high rate of speed,” he added.
Sadly, Khloe Nida died shortly after being mowed down by Bartek, prompting authorities to charge the elderly woman with the accidental death of the young girl. Bartek was eventually allowed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor count of negligent vehicular homicide, which carries a maximum penalty of only 6 months in jail. Disturbingly, the judge had other plans.
Despite never once expressing remorse, offering an apology, or even admitting responsibility for her actions, Bartek was sentenced to just 15 days in jail. She was also placed on probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. Additionally, her driver’s license was suspended for five years.
While Khloe’s family members read their heartbreaking statements through sobs, Bartek sat stone-faced and utterly silent. Even as she heard about Khloe’s legacy, Bartek stared on with a sour expression, which prompted anger from the child’s family members.
Still, Judge Mark Comstock seemed to trivialize the family’s outrage, explaining that there’s “never enough” when issuing sentences. When it came time for Bartek to deliver her defense statement, she never once took responsibility for Khloe’s untimely death. In fact, she merely said, “I understand what the family’s going through.”
The family has decided to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against Bartek in an effort to obtain a proper punishment. The family hopes that the civil suit will also reveal answers as to how the crash occurred.
“The defendant will have to provide under-oath testimony in our case, and there will be in-depth questioning of what occurred and why,” attorney Craig Bashein said.
For now, Bartek is as tight-lipped as she was during her sentencing. When a FOX News reporter attempted to question the woman, her attorney immediately stepped in and shut down the interview. The same attorney refused to allow her to answer when she was asked why she never issued an apology.
Khloe’s family is demanding justice, and rightfully so. During the sentencing, they hoped that their testimonies would garner the judge’s sympathy. Some even furiously pointed out that Bartek still shows no remorse.
Her mother said, “Khloe was my best friend. We literally did everything together. She was everything to me.”
Her father said, “Gloria had choices. And she could never hit a brake, put her car in neutral, or even honk her horn.”
Bartek will be required to serve her 15-day jail sentence in blocks, divided up so that she will serve several days each year around the anniversary of Khloe’s death. Still, the family understandably says that this isn’t enough. They are tirelessly pursuing justice for their daughter in another court, and we certainly can’t blame them.
