Leotta victim impact statement

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT State of Maryland v. Luis Gustavo Reluzco Criminal Number: 128902 NAME OF VICTIM: Noah Leotta PERSON WRITING THIS STATEMENT: _Richard Leotta___ RELATIONSHIP TO VICTIM: ___Father______ Date: ____6/19/16____________ Dear Judge Harrington, I am writing this on Father’s Day. It is a day that my children tell me thank you and love you for being a good father. I have two beautiful and wonderful children who I love dearly. My daughter Shana and my son Noah. Both are so special in their own way. However, this Father’s Day and forever more, my son can’t tell me he loves me, can’t wish me Happy Father’s Day, can’t hug me, can’t smile at me, can’t laugh with me, can’t be with me, because he is dead! Every minute of every day I am mentally and physically distraught because of the unnecessary, senseless and untimely death of my dear healthy and happy 24-year-old son Noah. Today being Father’s Day magnifies these feelings 10 fold. However, today and most every day, I hide these feelings from my family and cry deeply in private places so, I can be strong for my wife and daughter. Though there are times when I can’t control my pain and anguish and I cry deeply and openly. I cry for my son, my wife, my daughter, my family, my police family, friends, community and myself, as we have all tragically lost a beautiful and wonderful soul from our lives and the world. Our large Jewish and Italian family and our friends are very close, and we spend holidays, birthdays, beach vacations, and many special occasions together. Noah was always there with everyone, full of life and laughter. To not have him there with us, leaves a big open wound in everyone’s heart and soul that can never be filled. We have special memories but, there will never be new memories, and that is an awful feeling that hangs over us. The life and laughter that Noah brought is gone forever. I constantly try to remember how my son talked to me. Certain phrases, tones and inflections in his voice. I play them over and over in my head as if he is here, as I have to and want to remember. I walk around the house looking at photos of my dear Noah from infant to age 24 but, that is where these photos end, and that is extremely hard to believe. He was such a happy and wonderful son from the day he was born. He had beautiful striking blue eyes and a warm and inviting smile. He was a kind, sensitive, compassionate, caring, considerate and loving old soul. We never had to scold or punish Noah, as he always knew right from wrong, and took the right path when there was a fork in the road. Noah had grown up to be a beautiful young man inside and out. Noah was my son and my pal. We walked our dogs together, had deep talks together, laughed together, went to movies together, went to sporting events together, went fishing together, played golf together, and just hung out together. Noah and I talked about his future, how happy he was in his job as a police officer, with his family, with his girlfriend and with life in general. I was so proud of who and what he had become. I told him that he and his sister were my legacy and that anything else that I did in this life did not matter. I was so looking forward to watching Noah get married, have children, raise a family and have a happy life. However, reality is I will have no more talks, no more walks, no more laughs, no more movies, no more sporting events, no more fishing, no more golf and no more hanging around with my best pal and son. Noah will not have another birthday, will not get married, not have children and not raise a family. Knowing this harsh reality eats at me every day. Sometimes I feel I am in a bad dream and just want to wake up. Other times it hurts so bad that I can’t breathe and I just want to die. I am in a living hell! How did I end up in this hell? On December 3, 2015, as Noah went to work I told him have a good night. That was the last time I would see my son healthy and awake. Later that night while Noah was on patrol, a 47-year-old reckless and irresponsible drunk driver crashed into my son, Officer Noah Leotta, when Noah was out of his car making a road side stop of another suspected drunk driver. Noah sustained massive brain trauma and hung on in a coma for 7 days but, when the doctors made it clear that Noah was not going to recover, my wife and I had to make the most awful decision a parent has to make. We decided to remove life support from our dear son Noah, and we also decided to donate Noah’s organs. My wife and daughter were too distraught and overwhelmed with grief and pain to be with Noah when life support was removed. I felt so helpless, as I could do nothing that would reliever their pain and suffering. However, on December 10, 2015, I went to the operating room with my two brothers and Noah’s girlfriend to be with my dear son Noah when his life support was removed. Though, I was in extreme despair and pain, I was there when my precious boy came into this world and took his first breath, and it was my responsibility, as his father, to be with him when he took his last. This is the last memory of my son alive and it haunts me to this day. It was the worst day of my life, and I have been in hell ever since. Make certain others do not have to be in a living hell like me and my devastated family. This person is a three time repeat offender of drunk driving and clearly did not learn from his past transgressions. The prior punishments he received for driving drunk were inadequate, and thereby were not effective in changing his bad behavior. Therefore, since he is a repeat offender and this is his third time for being caught driving drunk, he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law for his continued reckless and irresponsible behavior and total disregard for the safety and wellbeing of others, resulting in the execution of my dear son Officer Noah Leotta. Furthermore, a strong punishment will act as a deterrent to other would be drunk drivers, by sending a clear and decisive message, that this type of reprehensible behavior and total disregard for public safety, will not be tolerated. Richard Leotta Father of Officer Noah Leotta, who died in the line of duty on 12/10/15 and was reborn on 5/19/16 with the signing of Noah’s Law