After thoughtful reflection of the events of February 2, 2005, I feel compelled to write to you concerning the death of Matt Carrington.

This tragedy should never have taken place. As a mother of three boys, two of which are roughly the same age as Matt, I can only imagine the pain that Debbie, Greg, and Travis felt upon hearing of this senseless crime.

Matt’s “brothers” left him in a cold, dirty basement to die. This irresponsible behavior can not be excused as a prank, to do so would be a total miscarriage of justice. The message sent to subsequent “hazers” must be clear. Hazing is criminal.

I firmly believe that only with strict penalties, for those responsible for this catastrophe, can we prevent it’s reoccurrence in the future.

Laura Lee O’Hara
15 Citadel Court
Pleasant Hill, CA 9452