A man accused of killing another driver in a drunk driving accident has been sentenced to wear a sign describing his crime for all to see.
39 year old Michael Giacona from Houston, TX has been ordered by Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Michel R. Fields to wear a sign that says, “I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell while driving drunk” during four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the scene of the accident.
Last June Giacona’s van ran a red light crashing into Pennywell’s Mustang at the intersection of Huffmeister and Spring Cypress, throwing the 20 year old Pennywell from his car. He died at the scene of the accident.
Giacona served 90 days in prison. In addition to the prison sentence and having to wear the sign, he must also wear an alcohol monitoring device on his ankle and prominently display a framed photograph of the destroyed car in his living room, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle.
A friend of Pennywell’s had this to say about the sentencing:
“For killing one of my best friends I don’t think it’s enough. Going to jail only 90 days and then you come out here and carry a sign for four consecutive Saturdays, it’s not enough for taking someone’s life.”
Judge Fields expressed concerns about placing Giacona on shock probation stating:
“I have looked at the state’s exhibits and, and quite frankly, I am concerned about you and this decision to place you on shock probation. You make me nervous, and the reason you make me nervous is I believe what the witnesses said about your behavior that evening: That you were, even after killing someone, still looking to get more alcohol. This is not your first DWI.”
The video below is from an attorney who disagrees with the humiliation in this type of sentencing for those accused of DUI’s.
[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/LV0_okTAmyA” width=”420? height=”315? ]