GRAND RAPIDS — If it weren’t for the victim’s mother, two men who pled guilty in the beating death of Jonathan “Jono” Krystiniak would lead far different lives in the future, a Kent County Circuit judge said Tuesday during the sentencings.
“At 19, you can’t appreciate how much of a difference this will make in your life,” Judge Christopher Yates told them.
“But at 29, 39, 49, you will know,” Yates told 19-year-olds Ryan James Simonson and Milton Billibaldo Lopez, as he handed down his sentence for their role in the beating death of Krystiniak outside a downtown bar last year.
In January, the two pled guilty to manslaughter. They received one to three years in prison.
If they complete the terms of their probationary period, the felony will be wiped from their record.
“You should thank Mrs. Stariha every day of your life,” Yates said. “Because she is the one who is responsible for this.””It’s going to be a hard road,” said Krystiniak’s mother, Susan Stariha.
Four of the five young men convicted of a role in the January 2008 attack on Krystiniak were sentenced Thursday. A fifth was sentenced earlier.
Before Tuesday’s sentencing, Stariha gave a lengthy victim impact statement. Prosecutors also had given her input into plea agreements reached with four of the defendants.
Stariha said she forgave the young men and wants them to “go on to lead good lives.” She even offered to do their community service hours with them.
“I don’t want your actions here to be what you’re remembered for,” she said.
Yates praised Stariha: “You’ve carried yourself with a grace and dignity that I’m not sure I could muster,” he said. “I stand in awe of you.”
Krystiniak, 21, was beaten Jan. 10, 2008 and was taken off life support Jan. 24. An autopsy showed the former Grandville High football player died of blunt-force trauma to his head. The beating stemmed from words exchanged outside a bar, testimony showed.
Across the courtroom stood Eric Tyler Freeman, 20, who maintained his innocence, but was found guilty of manslaughter by a Kent County jury in early March. Freeman, the first to be sentenced, was ordered to serve 27 months to 15 years in prison.
“Eric, I pray for you — that you can find it in your heart to take responsibility,” Stariha said to Freeman.
“You avoided a far worse fate had you been convicted of second-degree murder,” Yates said.
Luis Gaston, 19, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and agreed to cooperate with authorities, was sentenced to a year in jail.
Yates also ordered all of the defendants to jointly pay around $21,000 in victim restitution, with Freeman paying around $3,500 of the wages Stariha lost from attending his trial.
In a move not often seen in court, Yates gave permission for Milton Lopez to turn and face Stariha directly as he spoke to her.
“It’s hurt a lot — me and my family, especially my mother,” Lopez said as he faced Stariha.
“I just want to thank you for the second chance …”
She smiled and said she appreciated his words.
“Milton not only took responsibility for what he did, but for what he did not do,” Stariha said.
Casey Therriault, 19, a former quarterback for Wyoming Park High School, previously was sentenced to six months in jail. He also has the opportunity to erase his involuntary manslaughter conviction if he stays out of trouble while on probation.
Ben Mansfield, a witness for the prosecution who was with Krystiniak during the assault, said he was thankful the defendants came forward.
“I’m glad that they all stepped up,” Mansfield said after the sentencing. “It helps everything.”
“There are days that I can hardly breathe because I miss him so much,” Stariha said of her son. “I am praying that the boys make me proud.”