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TIM MULHOLLAND'S sister Faith Mullholland, 10, reads her impact statement to the court with her mother Melanie Mulholland, 39, at her side. Victoria Guinn, 19, left, sitting with her lawyer David Weiner was sentenced to 14 days in jail for vehicular manslaughter in which Tim lost his life. Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
The driver who was responsible for a car wreck that killed an El Dorado High School student earlier this year accepted a plea deal Monday morning.
Victoria Elizabeth Guinn, 19, was behind the wheel of a Nissan 350z on March 27 when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into oak trees along Newtown Road in Placerville.
Killed in the crash was passenger Timothy Mulholland, 17, a senior at El Dorado High School.
Before a packed courtroom audience Monday, Guinn pleaded no contest to a single misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
She had also been charged with possession of marijuana, but the charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas C. Phimister, before sentencing Guinn, allowed Mulholland’s friends and family to speak about the impact created by the death of the young man.
Two of Mulholland’s sisters, Faith and Cassandra, delivered tearful statements about the young man they referred to as their “hero.”
“Tim and I were very close,” said Faith. “He was the best man in my life.”
“How many important things will he miss, I wonder,” said Cassandra.
Faith told the court that the loss of her older brother will be something she deals with for the rest of her life.
“I’m worried I will forget what he looks like or what he sounds like,” she said.
Kristine Running, Mulholland’s girlfriend, said she was robbed of the love of her life.
“I miss his laughter, his contagious smile,” she said.
Perhaps the most powerful words came from Mulholland’s mother, Melanie, who brought with her a framed picture of her son.
“I will not see him again,” she said. “I will not hear him call my name from down the hall.”
Melanie told the court that the life she had hoped for Timothy exists only in her mind.
“I will not dance with him at his wedding,” she said through tears. ”He will not be here to take care of me when I’m old.”
Timothy had planned on enlisting in the U.S. Navy after high school. Melanie said he was eagerly awaiting the opportunity.
“He couldn’t wait to defend our country and preserve our rights,” she said.
Since the death of her son, Melanie said simple things, such as getting out of bed in the morning, have become a struggle.
“I do it because I know it would make him proud,” she said. “But rarely do I do it because I want to.”
Every single aspect of her life changed with the car crash, Melanie said.
“The woman that I once was is gone,” she said. “There are days when I wake up and look in the mirror and I don’t recognize the woman looking back at me.”
In addition to praising the young man’s character and thoughtfulness, all who read statements Monday expressed dissatisfaction with Guinn’s behavior following the death of her friend.
The woman, according to speakers, has made no attempt to contact the Mulhollands since the crash.
“If (she) would just communicate with me, maybe it would ease my pain,” said Faith.
“I have tried to reach out to her but to no avail,” Melanie said.
One woman did speak in defense of Guinn and said that all youths make poor choices but that they rarely cause such pain.
As Timothy’s friends and family read their statements for the court, Guinn sat silently next to her attorney and appeared to stare down at the table.
David Weiner, Guinn’s attorney, delivered a brief statement on his client’s behalf.
“This will live with her forever,” he said. ”She is deeply, deeply, deeply sorry.”
Weiner said Guinn wrote letters to the Mulhollands but that they were not sent for undisclosed reasons.
Guinn was sentenced to 14 days in county jail, three years of probation, 300 hours of community service and had her driving privileges revoked for three years.
Guinn will also be required to participate in a MADD program while attending college in Arizona and must speak at six driver’s safety educational meetings.
In rendering Guinn’s sentence, Judge Phimister said cases like Guinn’s are especially difficult for all parties involved.
“Basically, a crime has occurred,” he said. “The circumstances are such that the line is a very, very fine line.”
After Monday’s sentencing, Melanie Mulholland told the Mountain Democrat that she would still like to speak with Guinn in the future about the death of her son.
E-mail Jim Ratajczak at jratajczak@mtdemocrat.net or call 530-344-5069.
without a doubt the most heartbreaking thing i have witnessed was watching the women who adored Timothy so much address the court today. i hope that now everyone will be able to look toward the future.
I find it especially troubling that this young woman, who is responsible for the death of this young man, did not have the courage or respect to speak on her own behalf — to express her remorse with her own voice and apologize to this family for her gross error in judgment. She is an adult, and has no excuse for failing to do so. Having her attorney read her “apology” is as empty the hearts of this family who lost a son and brother. Her plea is neither brave nor commendable — she did so to save herself the pain and expense of trial and to reduce her sentence by the court. Shame on you Ms. Guinn, for again failing to exercise good judgment.
Well said. It’s heart breaking enough…. Does she realize the effects of her actions, over and over again? Step up to the plate and be responsible, for once.
Tim’s mother received his high school diploma on his behalf at this past year’s El Dorado HS graduation ceremony. The crowd went wild with applause and at least half of them were wiping tears from their eyes. He must have been a well liked kid, for sure. So, all these months later after his death, the driver got 14 days in jail. You gotta be kidding me.
I’d like to see the parents serve the time with her. They bought an 18 y/o girl a Nissan 350-Z? That is a SERIOUS performance car and was obviously too much for her. Their stupidity contributed to Tim’s death and could have resulted in their daughter’s too.
I’m glad the lawyer expressed, “She is deeply, deeply, deeply sorry.” Are you kidding? She couldn’t stand up and just say one “deeply sorry?” This was her friend. She owed him that; she owed his family that! And a little slap on the hand. Sure she will live with it, and she should. If it were Tim driving and Tori died what do you think would have happened? And “no contest?” I know high-priced lawyers drive these kinds of deals, but when you take a life even as an accident, you have to stand up and own it. Why no letters? Because the lawyer put that in the toilet with too much admission of guilt, or you could be liable. It’s all BS! Money protects those with it, and those without get injustice. At least their is community service, MADD, and no driving for three years, but can’t she still get an Arizona license? I think likely so. Maybe the speaking and attending MADD will give her the courage to stand, and herself say how deeply sorry she supposedly is for what has happened. This county…man!!
Just as I figured. Didn’t matter what the outcome. Most of you were not going to be satisfied. And regardless of what you think, you will never know how Victoria feels. She will be paying for this for the rest of her life.
No, she won’t. After her 14 days in jail and 3 years of probatin, she is DONE.
If by “paying for it”, you meant that she’ll live with guilt and remorse, most people don’t buy it. She never once spoke with her own voice to express regret or remorse. Yes it would have required immense courage to do so, but it was the LEAST she could have done for Tim’s family. She owed them that, at least, but she gave them nothing.
No, she’ll be done “paying” for this whole thing shortly after her 22nd birthday, and Tim will still be dead.
I have to agree with Mr. Martin.
The sentence was obviously the result of an extremely high priced lawyer.
Seems that someone on this or an earlier thread said that the parents also purchased a high powered car for their young son and he is seen racing around town. Not sure about the racing around town, but the purchase of a high powered car for the son seems consistent with their purchase of a high powered car for their daughter.
If one is interested in causation — BUT FOR, the parents gross lack of judgement, this tragic event would not have happened.
P.S. Yes, sometimes I agree with Mr. Martin.
Might be a civil lawsuit somewhere in this.
No, not against the daughter, the parents.
I am so glad that you are inside her head and know what she thinks and feels. You must be a very wise man and rich beyond your dreams with such knowledge and abilities.
I wonder what everyone’s view would have been if Tim had been driving instead of Tori? I am feeling sorry for the families on both sides. Forgiveness is hard and know that Tori is hurting every day. Tim was her friend too!
You really want to speculate what the outcome would have been had the roles been reversed? Think about it…Tim would have dropped to his knees and accepted FULL responsibility. Tori’s family would once again used their financial resources to get the FULL possible sentence.
You are exactly right!!!
Lori and Todd,
You should educate your self before speaking , at least on my behalf.. My 11 year old thru tears extended forgiveness in the courtroom and my hysterical 13 year old did the same as did I ! It has been and continues to be extended to Tori who when given the chance to address me and my girls, choose not to. Can you imagine the pain and strength it took for those little girls. So please is it isn’t grace your extending on here.. Just don’t coment.. Because forgiveness is at Tori’s feet. She need only want it!!!
Melanie,
Here we go again. We have had this discussion before. First let me say that I mean you and your family no disrespect. My heart goes out to you and yours. In the past you sent me a private message on facebook asking me to explain myself. I did just that , but I don’t know if you read it. So I will post it here. We previously discussed the “witch hunt” going on. You and others denied it, you just wanted Tori charged and tried. I told you then that nobody was gonna be satisfied with the outcome, and here we are, I told you so. Here is the reply I gave you before:
Hi Melanie,
I don’t know that you will ever understand my feelings on this matter, nor do I for that matter. Let me start by reaffirming that I honestly am not personally connected to this situation. I read the story in the Mt. Democrat and I am a fan of the Hangtown,Ca page on facebook. I no longer live in P’ville but like to keep up on the current events. I attended Ponderosa High and lived in El Dorado County for 15 years. My parents owned the River Run Liquor and Deli in Coloma, which now has a different name. I lost my mother in a car wreck on Cameron Park Drive and Oxford Rd, where I believe there is now a signal. I was 17, my sisters were 11 and 12. Witnesses say that the man who crossed the center line appeared to be drunk, but no tests were ever conducted. It was also in the rain and the other car was believed to be traveling in excess of 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. The spare tire that was BOLTED down in the trunk of my moms car was in the front seat and her front bumper was nearly up against the windshield. I mention all of this just to give you an idea of where my head is at. My life was in a downward spiral from there. I was so filled with hate. I became an alcoholic and addicted to drugs. I destroyed my life. I did that. But I can’t help but look back and think that if people would have been more involved in helping me rather than punishing me, things may have been different. But as I stated before. I truly believe this. Everything in God’s world is just as it should be. I don ‘t know why my mother had to die and I have quit asking that question. Who am I to question God? I am now sober and have been able to use my experience to help others achieve sobriety. 17 years ago I found recovery and with recovery I found God. Along with God I found forgiveness. So now to the point of why I am speaking out for Victoria. I just kept reading all these posts from people “against” her. I tried to keep my silence, feeling it was none of my business. But it went on and on. It seemed those people posting would not be happy until she was on death row. I know that is an exaggeration, but many of them were relentless and seemed to be on a witch hunt. There was no voice present for Victoria. As far as my stand on her punishment, there is nothing that is going to compare with what she lives with every day. She killed her friend. Atleast I assume they were friends, considering Tim was riding in her car. I don’t know Victoria, I didn’t know Tim. I can’t speak for either of them. But honestly, do you really think this is what he would want? People keep saying she needs to be accountable for her actions, if for nothing else, atleast to be an example for other teens. Well, in my eyes, there are lots of ways she can be an example to other teens and benefit the community other than going to prison for years. Now as far as my lack of mentioning your girls or Tim. I apologize if that offended you, but I was trying to give my opinion and be as respectful as I possibly could to you and your family. So I felt it best that I did not address them. Once again, I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family. I have lost my mother and a sister who was only a few years older than me. So I don’t know exactly what it is like to lose a child. But I do know this. I know what it is like to feel a pain in your heart that never stops and the feeling that things will never be the same. And I know this doesn’t help, but the pain is still there after 28 years, but I have learned to live with it through forgiveness and my strength in the Lord. I can only hope the same for you. I wasted 13 years of my life being hateful and vengeful. Please don’t let that happen to you. With all my love towards you and your family, Todd
To the rest of you self riotous people who want to play God or judge and jury, just remember the best vitamin for a christian is B1.
la situacion puede ser la misma TODD , pero ahora son otros tiempos nuevos y diferentes cirncunstancias, no es justo fumar marihuana conducir un auto y matar a alguien , esa es mi responsabilidad y tengo que enfrentar las consecuencias de mis actos, no importa la edad que tengas para la madurez no necesitas edad. saludo con todo mi corazon a todos y yo tambien perdi una hermana por culpa de un conductor alcoholizado y ella dejo huerfanos a 4 niños.( sorry spanish)
I noticed earlier somebody stated that you have the right to post in spanish. Whatever. You can obviously read English. So if you want to address me, you’re gonna have to do it in English.
Self-righteousness has nothing to with anything in this case. We are talking about justice and that involves the punishment fitting the crime.
No one will ever know if Victoria Guinn completely brushes this event out of her life or if it haunts her nightmares every night for the rest of her life. Only she will know that.
But it’s irrelevant.
The system of justice we have in place has a section known as “crime & punishment.” It must be adhered to and even occasionally adjusted to reflect societal changes.
In California, simply a 1st time drunk driving offense carries a MANDATORY minimum 4 day jail sentence and can be made to 6 months. A 2nd time drunk driving offense carries a minimum 90 days in jail. And this doesn’t invovle anybody dying.
I acknowledge that miss Guinn’s crime did not involve drunk driving, but am merely trying to draw the distinction between the mandatory sentences of what are fairly ordinary offenses, compared to what her fatal, high speed negligence yielded as a sentence. It is inexplicable.
And I am not judging her. I am judging her actions. She may one day seek forgiveness and I hope she finds it – truly. But that does not mean she is somehow exempted from serving a just and appropriate sentence for the crime she committed.
Todd… You are confusing what people are saying and taking it to the extreme. I’ve always said pretty little girls get better treatment in El Dorado county. I’m sorry for your loss but finding God has nothing to do with asking for justice. Asking for consistent justice isn’t asking for a pound of flesh. May be you are right about her being more of an influence speaking out to youth. But then doesn’t everyone deserve that opportunity?
This is the Saving Private Ryan moment…. The atterney better have leaned over and told Victoria… “Earn This.” But even from her behavior in court, I have this feeling that nothing will change. 100 bucks says she’s arrested by age 25 for DUI.
Todd . . . unfortunately, you’re missing the point of many of the posts here. Mine, for one, has nothing to do with religion or forgiveness — and was certainly not criticizing (or commending) the severity of the sentence. That’s for the justice system to decide. The real issue has everything to do with Ms. Guinn failing to do take responsibility on a go forward basis, and help this family begin the healing process. Whether Ms. Guinn actually “suffers” every day, or is truly “sorry” for her actions, may never be known, since none of us are in her head. However, Ms. Guinn’s failure to express those words to this family — personally — is simply disrespectful and demonstrates an utter lack of courage and moral fiber. Moreover, Ms. Guinn’s decision to “apologize” through her attorney makes any such comments empty and emotionless.
What’s appalling in this situation is the fact that you — personally – directly contacted a family you don’t know and interceded in their emotional turmoil. Even more appalling is the fact that you don’t even know Ms. Guinn — yet you are advocating on her behalf, and preaching to the Mulholland family to forgive, when they have yet to receive an apology. Last time I checked, the apology precedes the forgiveness.
Engaging in written exchanges with the public on a website is one thing, but personally contacting the family of a victim to advocate for the person who has caused them pain shows an extraordinary lack of judgment. So, shame on you Todd.
Here we go again. You have no idea of what you speak, so don’t lecture me on what I may or may not have done. If you can read, than you might know what you are talking about, but obviously, you can’t. Get somebody to read the posts and you might understand a little better. You said, “and was certainly not criticizing (or commending) the severity of the sentence. That’s for the justice system to decide.” Really? The courts did decide and I’m reading people unhappy with the outcome. You also said,”What’s appalling in this situation is the fact that you — personally – directly contacted a family you don’t know and interceded in their emotional turmoil.” And then you said,”Engaging in written exchanges with the public on a website is one thing, but personally contacting the family of a victim to advocate for the person who has caused them pain shows an extraordinary lack of judgment. So, shame on you Todd.” I did no such thing. For your information, back in August I traded comments with others on the Hangtown facebook page about this horrific tragedy. The discussions went on for days. At one point I was contacted by Melanie Mulholland on my personal FB page. She contacted me. And she asked me to contact her. So next time you wanna talk smack, get your facts straight.
I stand corrected, Todd. If the Mullholland family reached out to you, then that’s their choice. However, from the tone and content of Mrs. Mullholland’s comments here, it appears that your present and prior “advice” has provided her and her family little (if any) comfort. Moreover, I note you have nothing to say about the substantive issue of Ms. Guinn’s failure to extend an apology to this family — which is the very point of my post. Rather, you appear to only be interested in defending yourself. Though, I guess this should come as no surprise. When you side with cowards you should expect to find few applauding your efforts.
DMartin,
I have done my best to keep my comments civil and respectful. I have tried to keep the insults to myself, regardless of how difficult you make it. I refuse to stoop as low as you. Unlike yours, there are some peoples feelings I would rather not walk on. So I will bow out of this worthless exchange with you. Before I go, I would like to say that I cannot explain the lack of an apology from Ms. Guinn. All I can say is that it has been said that there is more to that story than is being told and you are only hearing one side. As far as her behavior in the courtroom, I can only speculate. My guess would be that she was following the directions from her attorney. Good day.
The courage that Tim’s sisters showed today was amazing. They spoke from their hearts and laid no judgement on Tori. They spoke to the impact of not having Timothy in their lives. They spoke about forgetting what his laugh sounded like, what his smile looked like. Tim was their hero and their protector and those girls showed guts getting up there in front of that court. They gave Tori many opportunities to express her feelings and ask for forgiveness. Melanie also spoke to the silence…as did I. If and when Tori wants to heal there is a network of people who can extend forgiveness and grace to her. She needs to first seek it.
We LOVE YOU and your precious girls our Melanie…Since you OBVIOUSLY can’t get justice in these courtrooms…it seems you will have to wait until a judge of HIGHER power can take charge!…*sigh*
Tell me Jennifer, Since you don’t seem to respect the judges decision, What, In this case would you consider proper justice? And if it was your daughter and not Tori, Am I going to get the same answer?
Melanie, Faith & Casandra,
Your courage and strength is absolutely amazing!
Thank you Lisa!
ABSOLUTELY Robert! I hope to not be out of line here…but For starters…It wouldn’t matter if I was wealthy enough to afford to buy my TEENAGE daughter a sports car…in my opinion to DO so…is COMPLETE irresponsibility!…and YES…if my child KILLED someone because of horrible judgement…I would be MORTIFIED! Again, you can’t put a “price” on a life whatsoever…but I feel if it had of been my child who took a life…I feel that NO less than a YEAR in jail…MINIMUM…and they would be REQUIRED to help the victims family in ANY way SHAPE or FORM they possibly could to make whatever ammends they could attempt to.To ME…this sentence of 14 days and 300 hrs community service, temp revoked license?…REALLY?…tiz but a mere slap on the wrist I feel is just a….”naughty naughty little girl” I DO hope this opinion won’t offend our beautiful lady…but Melanie’s precious Timothy will NEVER be returning home…she and her sweet girls must attempt at learning to live a new “normal” WITHOUT this most wonderful man in their lives…if ONLY more teens could learn from this hearbreaking tragedy….God Bless the Mulholland family…WE LOVE YOU ALL!
Well Y’all, my concern here is the message a mere 14 day sentence will send to other teen drivers. If their irresponsible parents buy them a fast car and they hit a tree and kill someone, no big deal its only two weeks in the slammer.
How’bout a little more jail time, no time off for good behavior, 300 hours of community service, and make her wear one of those ankle bracelets like Lindsey Lohan. As for her parents, I sure hope they’re proud of their little princess.
The parents concern is… reflected… in one other way. Their younger son presently drives a Porsche 911. They’ve learned nothing…
con esas sentencias todos los demas jovenes sabran que una vida no es importante para un juez y pues a seguir fumando piorquerias y a manejar que al cabo menos de un mes y ya me voy a la casa.
¿En serio? ¿Realmente crees que esto es todo acerca de fumar marihuana? Lo siento, pero se equivocan lamentablemente.
Mr. Jimenez, English please for better understanding.
James E,
I don’t think that it is very politically correct to demand Mr Jimenez translates his statement because you don’t understand Spanish.
I welcome our Spanish speaking brother-in to feel free to post any time the mood fits them.
But something about insensitive judges, the value of life, and I think his over all belief is the punishment didn’t fit the crime.
Mr. Steers, I also welcome our Spanish speaking friends, but he will have to speak English if he wants me to understand his comment.
If he doesn’t want me to understand it, then Spanish is fine.
I’m currently enjoying a piece of fruitcake with my coffee. I get my fruitcake from a monastery in Berryville, VA. The monks know their fruitcake.
ADDED: And, I didn’t demand, I said please.
I have yet to find an edible fruitcake
Mr. Steers, I know, fruitcakes have a bad name. Often used as door stops.
But, a really good fruitcake is really good.
Re. Monasteryfruitcake.org
I just ordered it. I pray your choice of fruitcakes is better than your choice of Presidents….
i think that it is terrible that someone can get away with killing someone for less then the sentance of a DUI, petty theft or any other minor crime. Not to say that those crimes should come without punishment but lets be real here, she took someones life. I dont think that it is right to only get 14 days in jail. for all the skepitcal people out there if the tables had been turned id want it the same way. To be honest if i was facing those charges i would want to my sentance to be more than 14 days, justice sould be fair on both sides that was the purpose of creating a justice system, the punishment should fit the crime and i think that 14 days for killing someone hardly fits the crime. The pain and anguish that Tim’s family has/is going through will never be taken away by a jail sentance but it might be nice to know that her sons life was not taken without some type of justification or words of apology or remorce for that matter.
I understand “children” make mistakes. When my daughter was three she stole a piece of candy from the store. I walked her back into the store, told the manager on the sly not to go easy because she’s cute, and then made her apologize. I paid the manager for the candy after their “talk” (bravo mgr!)… and made my little one help me with dishes at home to pay me back. She has not even THOUGHT about stealing since.
As parents, we do our children NO favors by curtailing the consequences that should naturally occur. I don’t pretend to speak for the Mulholland family, but if I were in their shoes – I would think a statement from Tori… a public or private apology. Any sign or gesture of perceivable remorse would go a long way toward healing. But *nothing* at all?
Parents with integrity would expect their child to act with integrity. A human being with integrity would expect this from him or herself. It makes her come across as a monster to say or do nothing. Perhaps Ms. Mulholland and her daughters just want to know what Tim’s final conversation was like. Was he smiling? Laughing? Anything. Some form of communication would be nice.
If Miss Guinn were famous, then she would have made a public statement long ago. Instead, for all outward appearances she comes across as aloof. These parents are clearly trying to shield her… but more importantly, I believe they are attempting to shield their assets. I would think they would extend something to this family!
Our world is upside down and wrong is right and right is wrong. What should we expect?
I am a teenager and admit to being a horrible driver. I am a responsible person but have gotten pulled over 3 times for speeding, and once for talking on the phone while driving. I have however been following this story since I first read about it in the paper and have been a better driver since. Everytime I get in my car my heart aches for the mulholland’s loss and I seek to be a better driver. I know many disagree with what happened yesterday and state that “teenagers won’t learn their lesson” and to that I disagree. Teenagers should not drive safely out of fear of being incarcerated, they should drive safely out of fear of inflicting pain on someone’s family the way tori did. In the few statements I have read it appears that the mulhollands are extending grace upon the driver and even though the sentence may seem unjust I think it is important to commend them for doing that and being a true example of living the gospel. I think its important to support them in the hard choice they have made, and comments on her from other people harvesting anger in my opinion only adds to the pain. Your son sounded like an amazing person and I’m so sorry for your loss and i’m sorry it seems as though justice was not served. But your son did not die in vain, I’m just one person but it has affected my life and I didn’t even know him. God bless you and your family this holiday season.
Amen
Im so happy to hear you have learned and are striving to be a safer driver because of the loss of Tim. This makes my heart happy!
To Sad and Watchful, If people only knew what has been going on in the background, There has been things extended to this family as you refer to it but people only know what they see and hear and I am not at liberty to talk about in a public forum it as it is personal business between both families. I can only hope that all the behavior of some people involved comes out in the end and people might better understand Toris actions. Remember, People only let you know what they want otherwise things might not look so pretty. God bless the GUINN Family.
Thank you Hope I could not agree with you more! I am sorry for the Mulholland pain and I am sorry for the pain of the Guinn Family as well. I am proud to say that I am a friend of the Guinn Family and am proud of the grace they have exhibited over the last 81/2 months. God is greater than all of this pain and through Him good may come.
@Hope, I’ve been following on the sidelines and am aware of what you are referring to, but your wish for the truth will never make its appearance by those who wear the masks in public, making any concerted effort more difficult for nobody hears except what their hearts real desire comes to fruition. I’m sure she feels the pain of causing the death of a very good friend for the rest of her life, despite public opinion. A sports car shouldn’t have been given to such a young driver and I should know since my own totalled mine early on.
@Gabo, este choque no fue a causa de fumar (ni alcol) si no solo un pretexto para demandar. El muchacho fue un amigo bueno de ella, la culpa real fue no saber el poder de su carro nuevo, dado por sus padres de regalo unos Dias antes.
All I can say is, If I am a passanger of a car (with my seat belt on) and I am killed in a car “ACCIDENT” I would hope that the driver would not be punished for an accident, unless, they were drinking, on drugs, mad and being violent etc.
I do not know either one of these people but I also know that if I was the driver it would be something that would haunt me the rest of my life too.
WWJD, he wold forgive and thats what the mother should do too. Tim has giving her signs that hes ok. If Tim was as caring as a guy as she is saying, then he would NOT want this girl punished.
This wan’t an ‘accident!’ The driver was SPEEDING on a wet and very dangerous road. And how can you speak for Tim? Maybe if he was driving he would be responsible and step up to the plate, instead of hiding in another state. So just because someone is ‘nice’ and wouldn’t want their friend punished, we should give teens the impression it’s okay to speed b/c in court you’ll only get 14 days? If either of my children BROKE THE LAW, I would hope they would be held responsible. Do you really believe there should be no consequences, or her guilt alone is enough? What a slap in the face to all of the family and friends involved. This is why our world is SO screwed up, you can literally get away with murder! I’m sick of people using ‘WWJD’! I’m a Christian, but we shouldn’t go around not having standards. There’s also the 10 Commandments, some important rule following in there too. If Ms. Guinn went to the Mulholland family and sincerely apologized, I don’t think we’d even be having this conversation.
Please dont speak on behalf of my SON! everything else you had to say is your opinon and I respect that but dont speak for Timothy!
Mel…. as Tim’s mother Im outraged that you speak in assumptions and use “WWJD” and have the audacity to tell me what I should do! You dont know me….you dodntknow MY SON! And you know nothing of this case~
I agree forgiveness is truly the only way to heal…but if we didn’t have Any laws with a penalty…. imagine what kind of caos there would be?
That’s what I just tried saying, but you summed it up in one sentence!
So sad. My wife and I have been waiting for the results for the Bruce Bone and Theresa Ghersanich case. It seems the case has disappeared and settled behind closed doors when no one was looking.
Justice isn’t blind nor is it consistent. And recently, it seems to be looking for a deal instead of having the “people’s” best interest in mind.
So the next time an 18 or 19 year old male adult crashes his car and kills someone, we can count on the same deal, right? I mean after all…. he’s got his whole life infront of him. You wouldn’t want anything silly like jail to get in the way of his goals, right?
although someone has already stated this there are a few facts…..yes facts…..i would like to reiterate…..
the estimated speed at the time of impact was 89 mph……yes 89 mph……on a winding two lane country road.
above mentioned road was wet…..the rain had poured that day.
ms guinn was noted in the chp report to be in possession of marijuana…..why she was never tested is a mystery but she did have marijuana with her at the time of the accident.
so while i am very sure she didnt mean to hurt tim, and while i am also sure that she grieves for her friend every minute, i am here to say that in my opinion that this was not merely an accident……this was a blatent choice to drive EXTREMELY FAST ON A VERY WET ROAD. that was her decision and god help her she has to live with the results. we all do.
i was in court monday. i am biased. i love melanie like a sister and her children like they are my own. i wish no harm to tori. the day of sentancing i wanted to hug her, she looked so sad and lonely. but she made some very conscious decisions that day, and to try to whitewash this as a poorly thought out teenage moment is absurd and a huge insult to both timothy and the people who knew him and loved him.
As the mother of a son who was critically injured due to a driver who fell asleep at the wheel, I can definitely empathize with the Melanie and her family. Our family struggled with forgiveness/responsibility/justice/etc regarding the driver, who was, and still is, a good friend of my son. Unfortunately, a beautiful 21 yr old woman in the back seat of the car was killed in the crash. No criminal charges were brought against the driver (not exactly sure why, I wasn’t involved in that – I was keeping vigil at my son’s bedside, trying to pray him out of a coma). We were advised that we could bring a civil suit, but chose not to, as it would have been terribly taxing on my son, and our whole family. We chose, instead, to encourage the two to remain friends, which they have. My son Michael was Adam’s best man in his wedding a couple of months ago, in his wheelchair.
I believe this family is Ok with the forgiveness concept. But I can completely understand wanting the offender to say “I’m so sorry I caused the death of your son”. Forgiveness is so much easier to fully acheive if there’s at least some responsibility accepted by the person whose actions caused that death. “But For” is a legal term… and it’s obvious in this situation, that ‘but for’ Ms. Guinn’s actions, the Mullholand family would be looking forward to spending Christmas with their son and brother, Tim. All the hopes and dreams for a young man’s future, dashed – so many lives changed forever – due to someone’s bad decision. Prayers for the Mulholland family…
Here we go again. You have no idea of what you speak, so don’t lecture me on what I may or may not have done. If you can read, than you might know what you are talking about, but obviously, you can’t. Get somebody to read the posts and you might understand a little better. You said, “and was certainly not criticizing (or commending) the severity of the sentence. That’s for the justice system to decide.” Really? The courts did decide and I’m reading people unhappy with the outcome. You also said,”What’s appalling in this situation is the fact that you — personally – directly contacted a family you don’t know and interceded in their emotional turmoil.” And then you said,”Engaging in written exchanges with the public on a website is one thing, but personally contacting the family of a victim to advocate for the person who has caused them pain shows an extraordinary lack of judgment. So, shame on you Todd.” I did no such thing. For your information, back in August I traded comments with others on the Hangtown facebook page about this horrific tragedy. The discussions went on for days. At one point I was contacted by Melanie Mulholland on my personal FB page. She contacted me. And she asked me to contact her. So next time you wanna talk smack, get your facts straight.
Todd,
On behalf of the Guinn’s, Thank you for sharing part of yourself. Could you please contact me dana_roberts44@yahoo.com
May God continue to bless you
Dana
Judge not lest ye be judged and ye without sin cast the first stone
Lawsuits
Mullholland, MELANIE PLAINTIFF MMELANIE MULHOLLAND VS MARSHALL MEDICAL CENTER PC20110093MEDICAL MALPRACTICE – UNLIMITED 2/24/2011
MULHOLLAND, MELANIE PLAINTIFF MELANIE MULHOLLAND VS LARRY THOMPSON, ET AL PC20040316 PI/PD -MOTOR VEHICLE 6/28/2004
Mullholland, MELANIE PLAINTIFF MELANIE MULHOLLAND VS VICTORIA GUINN, ETAL PC20110173OTHERPI/PD/WD – UNLIMITED 4/4/2011
Criminal Records
MULHOLLAND, MELANIE FAYE 17061NHMM-1 12/5/2011 for speedingover 15 mph over speed limit
MULHOLLAND, MELANIE FAYE 16980MM-110/17/2011 trafficviolation
MULHOLLAND, MELANIE FAYE 11921MCMM-1 11/3/2010 arrest speedingon 2 lane highway with possession of marijuana
http://eldocourtweb.eldoradocourt.org/caseindex/case_index_criminal.aspx
About time the truth comes out, Now I see her Facebook is now private and her Blog is blocked to everyone except for people she allows to post. Time to hide! Well done Becky.
Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Guinn is tired of the badgering and harrassment she and her family have had to endure, and wants it to end. Anyone who thinks for a second that this young woman won’t be ‘living with’ the conseqences of her actions that terrible day for the of her life, is dilussional. No, the Mulholland family will never ‘move on’ and forget that they’ve lost a loved one – but they do need to try to channel their energies in more positive directions, and not constantly make the Guinns their target.
Well spoke “Just Maybe” Time to move on. Everyone on both sides of this story have suffered but enough is enough.
What a sad sentence, a whole 14 days for taking a life in such a reckless manner, no remorse, no attention to the family left behind, no ownership. Community service, are you kidding me turn the 300 hours into jail time as what can be gained by her service. Driving under the influence is a crime and the resulting death of another should warrant a jail time and rehab, not just a pat on the head.
I keep seeing people refering to ‘Live Free’ as Timothy’s motto. With that mindset, do any of you truly feel that he would have wanted Victoria Guinn and her family attacked over and over again? Will any of that bring Timothy back? No one is ‘living free’ – except for Timothy. All of you need to stop the hatred and disgusting inuendo and remarks – Start trying to honor Timothy’s memory by ‘Living Free’ – and allow everyone else to live the same way. Your hatred is definitely not what Timothy would want you to be concentrating on, not from how all his family and friends have spoken of him. Do something constructive, seek counseling, whatever it takes to move forward in a positive direction. And anyone who doesn’t think that Victoria Guinn isn’t living with the fact that her actions took a young life is just denying the truth.