By PETE BANDA
Richard Mata (Facebook photo)
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Every day since the early morning of August 10, 2014, the family of Richard Mata has been yearning for some form of justice for what happened to their beloved “Ricky.” On Friday, October 9, that day was supposed to come… But it didn’t, according to the family.
“I was very disappointed that there was absolutely no justice at all today,” said Dora Rodriguez, the mother of Mata. “I even told the Judge, I’m sorry but I did not agree with the sentence… what kind of laws do we have here, where a person can kill somebody and just walk away with not even a slap on the wrist?”
A little over a year ago, Richard, 23, was struck and killed by a vehicle that Karina and Luis Cardenas were allegedly driving. The Brownsville couple fled the scene without rendering aid but were eventually arrested and charged after detectives matched a missing part of their vehicle.
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What is the Judge’s name?
NO, NOT AT ALL l!!! FOUR people in the truck when they hit him and none of them had enough heart and compassion to turn around to call 911 and be with him help him…HEARTLESS PEOPLE!!!! No, he shouldnt have been walking on the expressway but does that mean you can just hit someome and leave them there to die !!! WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?!?!? My heart aches. …..these people covered it up when the whole valley was looking for them…..it was all over the news…..they went and bought the hood and grill of their truck and replaced it in their garage at their home!! The only reason they turned themselves in was because the police went to their home with a warrant and found the old hood and grill in their garage looking into a local dealership after more than a week looking for them!!!!…..I dont care what i would have done wrong , but i would never leave someone to just die…..his body was found at 3:33 am when people that passed by saw him lying there…..he passed away at 10:45am and with the hospital on the other side of the expressway!!!!! HOW DO THEY KNOW THAT HE WOULDNT HAVE SURVIVED!?!?!?! WE DONT KNOW, WILL NEVER KNOW BECAUSE THEY LEFT HIM THERE!!! We love you Ricky and we miss you ….I pray for Justice….this Judge should be ashamed!!!! Your telling people that as long as they hit someone where they shouldnt have been walking its ok to leave them there because thats what they get?!?!? Is that what you think?!?! You make me sick!! This doesnt even befin to cover how I feel about them…………………RIP Cousin Ricky ❤ #JusticeForRicky
“Probation” is a sentence, not a verdict. The verdict was “Guilty”.
The sentence should have been the death sentence. So her family could feel what we do. And I hope she’d have a bunch of kids just like my poor cousin.
The RGV criminal justice system will give jail and prison time for marijuana; however, if a person runs over their baby (a frequent form of child neglect/abuse in the valley) or hits a pedestrian on the road…well, that’s probation. Just because you killed someone doesn’t mean it’s that serious. But watch out if someone is busted with a little dope. You’re going to jail for that! This is just one more reason that the Rio Grande Delta is the laughing stock of the state of Texas. Yes judges, that means you.