Raise your voice, dear women!
My daughter Carmelitta Gauio—a mother of five—got sentenced to 20 years without parole for allegedly beating her boyfriend with a hot frying pan. For this disproportional punishment, her children got scattered to other countries, her own life is destroyed for many years ahead.
From now, you CNMI woman may “earn” 20 years in prison if you defend yourselves by hitting attacking boyfriends with whatever is at hand. You are going to be sentenced more than 10 times harsher when compared to punishments for the same violations by men. As a letter writer’s analyses has revealed, some judges are inclined to sentence women much harsher than men and do it systematically.
Another painful aspect is the lack of decent and safe conditions while serving the sentence. While serving the sentence, my daughter got another undeserved blow: She got sexually harassed in the correctional facility! Usually, you women are those who get harassed.
Dear women, raise your voice for her and for yourselves, please! A very dangerous precedent for women got created. Now, punishing woman that harshly is a legally admitted norm and applicable to all of you if something gets a little wrong. This norm is very likely to be used frequently in the CNMI. The local women’s movements, their professional associations, and the people who want to stop the far-reaching negative consequences of the Carmelitta precedent should join their efforts and their influence to make our Marianas a land of law. Demand for comparatively just punishment and for decent conditions of serving a sentence! The Constitution’s due process amendment is at your side
I bow my all-gray head and ask Attorney General’s Office to look into Carmelitta’s case one more time. Please enforce the main principle of precedent law: equal punishment for equal crime no matter where and no matter by whom!
I ask all of our ladies who have an opinion on this matter or are willing to voice their support for this cause to please send your support texts to bibamanamko@gmail.com.
My old heart aches…
Teddy Gauio
Navy Hill, Saipan
FIRST, I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR SADNESS.
NOT HAVING ALL THE FACTS, (TWO SIDES) I CAN TELL YOU WHAT
I DO KNOW. YOU MENTION YOUR DAUGHTER HIT HER BOYFRIEND
WITH A HOT FRYING PAN. THE LAW CONSIDER THE “HOT FRYING PAN”
A DEADLY WEAPON. IF THE HOT FRYING PAN RESULTED IN THE
PHYSICAL INJURY OF THE VICTIM, PERMANENTS DISFIGUREMENTS,
SCARRING FACE OR OTHER BODY PARTS, SERIOUS INJURY TO LIMBS
OR BODILY ORGANS ,ETC., FELONY ASSAULT AND BATTERY USUALLY
ARE PUNISHABLE BY APPROXIMATELY 1-25 YEARS IN PRISON, DEPENDING
ON THE SPECIFIC PROVISION OF EACH STATE SENTENCING GUIDELINES.
THE JUDGES ALSO HAS SERIOUS FACTORS HE TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION.
I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT DOMESTIC ABUSE OR
VIOLENCE LAWS PROTECT WOMEN AND MEN. THESE LAWS ARE
VERY SERIOUS. I GUEST YOU NEED TO FIND A MALE WHO MATCH
THE CRIME AS YOUR DAUGHTER , BUT AGAIN THE LAW CAN’T BE
CHANGES. THIS IS WHY OVER AND OVER I TELL PEOPLE, THINK
BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE.
FOR EXAMPLE PARENTS MAY TAKE THEIR CHILD OUT OF THE
CAR SEAT BECAUSE CHILD IS CRYING AND SIT THE CHILD IN
THE FRONT SEAT…IF THERE IS A CAR ACCIDENT AND CHILD
DIES THE PARENTS CAN BE CHARGED WITH MURDER, AND
GO TO JAIL….. IF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO HARM YOU, CALL
THE POLICE, THEY WILL PROTECT YOU..
IN THE MEAN TIME YOUR DAUGHTER IN JAIL NEED A SUPPORT GROUP
TO ENCOURAGE HER. ALL IS NOT LOST….SOME RELIGIOUS
GROUPS DO VISIT THE PRISONS, OR VOLUNTEERS. THE CHILDREN
ADDRESS, GIVE THE PARENT SO SHE CAN AT LEAST WRITE THEM.
OUR ACTION CAN HURT US AND THOSE WHO LOVE US.
EVEN SELF-DEFENSE HAS TO BE PROVEN WITH FACTS, INTEND,
SEVERITY OF, IT JUST REALLY PAYS TO KEEP AWAY FROM
PEOPLE WHO ARE MAY ABUSE OR HARM US.
Buenas Sky,
After reviewing the court rulings relating to the criminal matter above. There were other charges on the individual while she was out on bail and plus the case when to full blown trial, which gives the court the opportunity to throw the book at the individual. If only the accused at the time, plead bargain with the prosecuting authority, she will not end up with the stiff sentence that was put upon her.
The saying goes, “Justice is Blind” in our society and there is a due process of the law. And again we are in the CNMI.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER.
HOWEVER TO RESPOND PROPERLY WE NEED TO KNOW
BOTH SIDES. BUT LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE OF
MAYBE WHAT HAPPEN TO YOUR DAUGHTER. YOU MENTION
SHE HIT HER BOYFRIEND WITH A HOT FRYING PAN, THIS IS
CONSIDERED A DEADLY WEAPON, THE SAME AS A LEAD PIPE.
MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW IF YOU HIT SOMEONE WITH
A DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT THAT PERMANENT DISFIGUREMENT
PERMANENT SCARRING OF FACE OR OTHER BODY PARTS
SERIOUS INJURY TO A LIMB OR THE PERSON REQUIRING SURGERY/
AND LONG REHABILITATION PERIODS CAN BE CONSIDER
A FELONY ASSAULT AND BATTERY, USUALLY PUNISHABLE
BY APPROXIMATELY 1-25 YEARS IN PRISON. (DEPENDING ON
THE SPECIFIC PROVISION OF EACH STATE SENTENCING STATUE OR
SENTENCING GUIDELINES. THE JUDGE HAS TO CONSIDER MANY
FACTORS.
THIS IS WHY I ENCOURAGE ALL PERSONS NOT TO ASSOCIATE
OR BE WITH ANYONE WHO HIT OR ABUSE YOU VERBALLY OR
PHYSICALLY. OR A PERSON GIVEN TO RAGE, OR FITS OF ANGER..
IS THERE A HISTORY OF ABUSE IN THE HOME,…I HAVE SEEN SO
MANY PEOPLE GET MAD OR PROVOKED, AND END UP GRABBING
WHAT EVER THEY CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON, HIT THE PERSON NOT KNOWING IT MAY BE CONSIDERED A DANGEROUS WEAPON..AND
IF SERIOUS HARM IS DONE THEY GO TO JAIL.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOUR DAUGHTER TO GET WITH A
SUPPORT GROUP, SOME ORGANIZATION DO
VISIT THE PRISON IN SAIPAN , CONSOLE, AND ENCOURAGE INMATES.
ALL IS NOT LOST….THERE IS HOPE. MAYBE YOU CAN GET THE
CHILDREN ADDRESS AND GIVE TO THE MOTHER SHE CAN WRITE
THEM..
AGAIN, YOU MENTION WOMEN ARE GIVEN LONGER PRISON
TERMS THAN MEN, YOU MAY HAVE TO FIND A CASE THAT
MATCH YOURS SO CLOSE IT CAN BE COMPARED TO A
FINGERPRINT….OR A PERFECT MATCH…
AGAIN YOU REALLY ARE IN MY PRAYERS….
AND I REALLY THINKS PRAYERS ARE POWERFUL…
Wasn’t she sentenced harshly for attempted murder because she ran him over, or tried to, multiple times? I think this was more than the frying pan incident. Anyways, yeah, if she had succeeded and killed the abusive guy, or if the courts put him in prison for just as long, that would be true justice.
I see your letters in the papers since the sentencing. My suggestion would be to take it up with the next “elected” AG who, by all indications possibly may be and ex Judge. I doubt seriously if anybody at this time would even consider looking at this case.
Buenas Captain,
Our community had been busy campaigning and everything are at a stand still within our government.
Also, we would like to point out that there are organizations in the United States that might look into the circumstances of the case above. They would work on a pro bono bases and they had help many who had been wrongly accused and convicted over the years. Writing to the letter to the editor in the media in the CNMI will only do so much. Maybe Mr. Gauio should concentrate writing to the organizations in the states, and maybe he might succeed in his mission.
We had people within our community that had been pardon by a sitting governor in the past and that is another way of addressing his issue above, it is a long shot but it is workable.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase