2:24 PM: Two men pleaded guilty this morning to felony charges for brutally beating San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2011 and were sharply criticized by Stow’s family in court, prosecutors said.
Louie Sanchez, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of mayhem while Marvin Norwood, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of assault. Sanchez was sentenced to eight years in prison while Norwood was sentenced to four years, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The pair was accused of the severe beating of Stow on March 31, 2011, following the Giants’ season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Prosecutors said Sanchez knocked Stow unconscious in an unprovoked attack and that Norwood prevented Stow’s friends from intervening and helping him.
Stow, a Santa Cruz paramedic and father of two, suffered severe brain trauma that will require daily assistance for the rest of his life.
After Sanchez and Norwood entered their guilty pleas this morning, Stow’s father and sisters addressed the defendants in court, district attorney’s office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
Prosecutors have released the written statements from the family members, who castigated Sanchez and Norwood for their actions.
“The time you will serve will be insignificant compared to what Bryan must endure,” Stow’s father David Stow wrote. “However the years that you spend in prison is what you two cretins deserve.”
Stow’s sister Erin Collins wrote, “Because of you both, Bryan’s life was nearly taken from him and will NEVER be the same. That also goes for his children, our parents, my sister and I, all of our family and Bryan’s friends.”
Another sister, Bonnie Stow, wrote, “No sentencing you receive will ever be long enough. Eventually you will be released. Bryan’s sentence is a lifetime.”
Robison said Jacqueline Kain, Stow’s ex-wife, did not appear at today’s hearing but her statement was read in court.
“Our son Tyler’s first word was ball … his next word was ‘daddy’ and when they started playing catch, Bryan promised to play catch with him every day, and he did … until you both took that away from him,” Kain wrote.
At one point during today’s hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli reprimanded Sanchez for his demeanor in the courtroom, Robison said.
On Friday, Stow’s family posted an update on a website created to support Stow, who had to have a portion of his skull removed because of swelling in his brain and other surgeries stemming from the attack.
“We recently shaved Bryan’s head and it was shocking to see the damage to his skull. Seeing him stare at himself in the mirror was heartbreaking. Watching him touch the shunt that protrudes on the right side of his skull, the slightly sunken in left side and all the deep scars was heartbreaking,” the family wrote.
Stow was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and other local rehabilitation facilities following the beating. Last year, Stow returned home with family when his insurance company declined to continue paying for his stay at an undisclosed live-in facility.
A civil lawsuit filed by Stow’s family is still pending in court against the Dodgers, who issued a statement following today’s sentencing.
“We are pleased that the culpable parties have finally accepted responsibility for their actions and have been sentenced for their crimes,” the team said in the statement.
Dan McMenamin/Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
12:26 PM: Two men have pleaded guilty this morning to charges in connection with the severe beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at the team’s season opener in Los Angeles nearly three years ago, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
Stow, 45, was brutally beaten at Dodger Stadium on March 31, 2011, and suffered severe brain injuries, which he is still recovering from today.
Louie Sanchez, 31, and Marvin Norwood, 33, were charged in the attack that left Stow, a Santa Cruz paramedic and father of two, requiring long-term care for the rest of his life.
The two, who have been held in custody since their arrest a few months after the attack, had been ordered to stand trial in 2012.
Today the men pleaded guilty to one count of mayhem and one count of assault, according to the district attorney’s office.
Sanchez was sentenced to eight years in state prison, while Norwood was sentenced to four years by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli.
According to prosecutors, Sanchez attacked Stow from behind and knocked him unconscious in an unprovoked attack at that stadium’s parking lot.
Prosecutors argued that Norwood prevented Stow’s friends from helping him during the attack.
On Friday, Stow’s family posted an update on a website created to support Stow, who had to have a portion of his skull removed because of swelling in his brain and other surgeries stemming from the attack.
“We recently shaved Bryan’s head and it was shocking to see the damage to his skull. Seeing him stare at himself in the mirror was heartbreaking. Watching him touch the shunt that protrudes on the right side of his skull, the slightly sunken in left side and all the deep scars was heartbreaking,” the family wrote.
Stow was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and other local rehabilitation facilities following the beating. Last year, Stow returned home with family when his insurance company declined to continue paying for his stay at an undisclosed live-in facility.
“We are coming up on (three) years since this happened and it’s hard to believe the support and prayers that Bryan still gets to this day. We cannot thank you guys enough for helping Bryan and us through all of this,” the family added.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
