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Kaylie Silby was convicted last week of improper driving in connection with the death of 2-year-old Omarion Rose (pictured) on Jan. 17.
A week after a judge fined a teenager $500 in connection with the death of a Madison Heights toddler, her stepfather has issued a public statement of apology to the boy’s family on her behalf.
The statement — from Chris Murphy of Madison Heights, stepfather to Kaylie Silby — also strongly defends the teen’s actions in the hours following the January fatality.
“I understand that this statement is long overdue,” Murphy wrote, “but up to this point, we have been under the instruction of our attorney and the state police not to give any statements.”
Silby, 19, was found guilty July 1 of improper driving. According to the evidence presented at her trial, she hit 2-year-old Omarion Rose on Seminole Drive on Jan. 14 as she was on her way to pick up her boyfriend that morning.
The boy, Amherst County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Maddox said in an earlier interview, had wandered away from his parents’ home in a moment of confusion.
The statement apologizes to the Rose family, and to Omarion’s mother in particular.
“No one could ever imagine the pain that they are going through,” it says. “Nothing could ever be done to fill the void… .”
During the hearing, Silby testified she was driving on Seminole Drive, under the speed limit, when her cell phone rang. She said the road ahead was clear when she looked down to find the phone. As she looked down, she felt what she thought was a pothole, she testified.
When she checked her mirrors, she saw nothing and went on.
In the family’s statement, Murphy notes Silby “has done everything she is supposed to do,” and that her family called police that day after seeing a news report about the incident.
“She stepped forward when many people would not have,” Murphy wrote.
The statement also noted that a re-creation of the accident showed that Silby could not have seen the boy in her mirrors, which was confirmed by police testimony at her trial.
In the wake of public outcry over the sentence, Maddox said Thursday that she doesn’t believe Silby set out to hit a child that morning. She also verified that the teen notified police the same day as the incident.
Silby was charged with reckless driving on March 12, after a lengthy investigation that included extensive forensic testing.
For those who wonder why Silby was not charged with a more serious crime than reckless driving, Maddox pointed out that the judge in the case, after hearing three hours of evidence, acquitted Silby of even reckless driving.
“It’s my job as commonwealth’s attorney to look at all the evidence and all the facts and to charge what the law allows,” she said. “A reckless driving (charge) was the highest charge that we could make based on the evidence in the case.
“The judge after listening to a lot of testimony thought it didn’t rise to the level of reckless (driving) and convicted her of improper (driving).
“Charging any greater charge clearly would not have been appropriate.”
Rose’s family could not be reached for comment.
Public apology letter written by Kaylie Silby’s stepfather
I would like to begin by saying that on behalf of not only Kaylie but also the rest of our family, our sincere condolences and prayers go out to the Rose family and Mrs. Hughes in particular. We are sorry for the loss of Omarion. No one could ever imagine the pain that they are going through. Nothing could ever be done to fill the void; we fully understand that and sympathize with the family. I understand that this statement is long overdue, but up to this point, we have been under the instruction of our attorney and the State Police not to give any statements.
With that being said, there have been many people stating that Kaylie is a cold-blooded killer. This could not be further from the truth. No one would knowingly hit a child and just leave him or her to die, no one. The simple fact of the matter is anyone heading down Seminole Drive that morning would have been subject to hitting Omarion. Everyone who drives at one point or another has taken their eyes off the road and many drivers whether they admit it or not have felt a bump in the road and not stopped. Beyond that, the State Police did a re-creation of the accident and confirmed that Kaylie could not have seen Omarion in her mirrors. If you do not see anything after you feel a bump in the road would you stop? Again, most people wouldn’t.
From the time Kaylie thought she might have been the one to hit Omarion she has done everything she is supposed to do. Contrary to what some media outlets have reported, it was not days before she came forward, and she was never on the run, it was the same day, right around lunchtime. We relinquished the vehicle to the State Police at the same time; it was never washed or doctored in any way. She did not move the car at any time once she returned to the house that morning. She stepped forward when many people would not have.
Also, contrary to what some may say, Kaylie is extremely remorseful. She can hardly look at her own infant son without breaking down. She is withdrawn, depressed and very solemn. Trust me — she is sorry this accident ever occurred. This is something that she will have to deal with everyday for the rest of her life.
Let me finish by saying: this is a terrible accident that no one should ever have to endure. Many lives have been ruined by these events. Please don’t judge someone for an accident that anyone of us could have very well been involved in. And again, to the Rose family and Mrs. Hughes, we do apologize for the loss of Omarion.
On behalf of Kaylie and our family, thank you for your time.
— Chris Murphy
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Reader Reactions
Freedom that’s classic. In a recent post, like this one, you ridicule the history of black people. You disrespected the lives and blood of those lost, deliberately use insulting pejoratives, and you post this to prove you’re not racist? You glibly amuse yourself with the struggles of black people, and you think that proves you’re not racist? Just goes to prove not all stupid people are racist, but all racists are stupid people.
Well actually thank you, because this is one of the signs of a racist I couldn’t articulate without a clear example. This is the intellectually lazy part of the racist mind. You see folks, its easy for freedom to say these things. Why actually work his brain too see how stupid it is. Just repeat the stereo types he’s convinced himself of because there’s no mental effort to it. Freedoms racism is nothing new. His ilk has long ago grown comfortable with these insults.
Few evils are less accessible to the force of reason, or more tenacious of life and power, than a long-standing prejudice. It is a moral disorder, which creates the conditions necessary to its own existence, and fortifies itself by refusing all contradiction. It paints a hateful picture according to its own diseased imagination, and distorts the features of the fancied original to suit the portrait.
This fits freedom and all racists. They paint their own picture of black people, and such as I comes along to call them on it..BOOM… they expode with outrage. How dare I say their ignorance doesn’t invalidate my life long experiences?
By the way that quote was from Frederick Douglas. Like I said you guys are doing nothing new.
People…you guys are saying the same things over and over again. No one here is going to change the other person’s point of view. So why try? Please agree to disagree on this one. What happened was a tragic accident. (period) Have a great day!
Bystander let me see if I’ve got the gist of the racist ignorance you keep repeating as intelligence.
Since that’s the whole of it, why do you keep wasting your time?
you know Poet, for a man who professes to have been a law enforcement officer, you sure dont know the law very well. The DA AND the judge said no laws were broken and they charged her with what they legally could. If you dont like it-lobby the state to change the laws.
NO ONE has said she is not responsible for hitting and killing Omarion. I defy YOU to show me where it has been.
What has been said is the family is equally responsible for letting the child wander off while they slept. Your lack of recognition of this FACT and your obviously deliberate attempts to overlook it or downplay it are nothing short of reprehensible, bordering on disgusting, and reek of racism on your own part.
Wow poet, you are truly blinded by racism and hatred. I wonder if you hate just white people or if you are all encompassing with Hispanics and Asians too. I can’t imagine living through the true racism you saw, and I know it exists today, but I bet you put that spin on everything when you can. Fight the Power! Down with the Man! Your mantra is getting old.
I’d bet the study you are talking about at Ferris was done by a narrow minded person like yourself ... and I bet they were black with the same mindset as you. So it seems you are tainted for the rest of your life and I find that sad. Of the 2 of us, you are the one that is racist. So keep it alive, fight the good fight and enjoy the rest of your sad time wallowing in your misery. Maybe we will have another article to discuss the next time Whitey is involved.
{quote]Posted by ( RosaC13089 ) on July 14, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Poet, you CANNOT say white’s do not get racist comments!
Then let white people deal with that. I can’t solve all your problems.
Car accidents that occur due to an individual being on a cell phone is NOT because they are racist! Society has said that they think it is fine for people to drive while on the cell phone, while I do not agree with it, that was the reason the accident happened and not because she decided to take a drive to look for an adorable black child who is playing the road to kill just because she is racist!
Now here is where you get totally silly. I defy you to quote the place I said Kaylie was racist because of the accident. From day one I responed to the the way Amherst County handled this case and the racist comments which began with Colonel. And thos are the comments I’m responding to now.
It is because of people like you that everyone goes sue happy when there is no need to! Just because a person wants to buy a hot cup of coffee and spills it on themselves, there is not a need to sue when DUH the coffee is GOING TO BE HOT…there should not need to be warnings, but because of sue happy people like you who do pathetic things just to get money…society has to be so scared. Teachers are scared about how to teach and what to teach just because of parents who want specific things to be taught or not taught!
I quoted this whole but of nonsense because you were all over the place and I coulnd’t figure out where to begin. One thing is obvious, you don’t know what you’re talking about. For example, the woman that sued and won for the hot coffee. That particular McDonalds had been wrned several times by the EPA that the coffee tempt was way over sae levels. All hot coffee burns, but it doesn’t scald and blister. Because they ignored those warnings and this happened a court ( the same entity you guys are hailing for letting Kaylie off)ruled in apartially in that woman’s favor. Before you got off on a tangent, educate yourself.
Here’s a thought. The courts are set up to seek justice. Justice not defined by you in your myoptic world. So if you are wronged in anyway, don’t sue. If you do then, by your words here, you are a hypocrite.
This case was just an accident and she was remorseful! GIVE IT UP! IT IS NOT ABOUT RACISM!!!!!!!!!
Yes it was an accident and I never said Kaylie was on the hunt for a black child to kill. That’s what the ignorant racists comments here are trying to reduce the conversation to, so they won’t have to deal with the aftermath of the decidsion and what they are being called out on. But what remorse is shown by not taking responsibility for it? Simple enough question, but you guys dodge it like the plauge.
You can close your eyes about the racist comments here, I can’t.
“a society that places no value on black people”
folks do you hear this? no value.
lets talk about black people and their value.
blacks are considered to be one of the most important voting blocks in american politics. blacks stick together more than whites and more than religious affiliation.
also, what about MLB, NBA, or NFL. Entire sporting leauges would be out of business if society truly did not care about black people. These are people are multimillionaires because society enjoys watching these guys do what they do best.
These are only 2 examples but they’re darn good ones.
sounds to me like the hoses need to be turned back on. Not because you’re black. But because you’re an idiot. How dare a person disagree with you!? You’re the all knowing Poet! ALL HAIL the POET!! Dispenser of wisdom and truth on all things black! February should now be called Poet History Month.
Is what happened to you in the 60s terrible? Absolutely. But you know what? IT DOESNT HAPPEN TODAY!!! I wasn’t involved in it. Nor was Article 1 or the HillCityColonel or Freedom or anyone else who is standing here and opposing you to your racist face. You have severe issues. You’re an angry an irratonal person hell-bent on making anything you can into a race issue. When people cut you off in traffic I bet you call them a racist. When people accidentally bump into you at Wal-Mart, I bet you call them a racist. When people smile at you and say hello, I bet you call them a 2 faced racist. You aren;t even reading this now because you’re too busy coming up with your responses about how “The Racist” makes fun of people or how “The Racist” denys he’s a racist. “The Racist”...you make it sound like some kind of super hero.
Poet, you need to learn how to forgive people. You need to learn how to look past the color of people’s skin. And based on your rantings about how you faced the hoses, broke the color line, and had to use the back door, I’m guessing you’re at least 65 if not 70, which means for a man your age, you have a surprising need to grow up.
Mitchell: I have to be honest with you son. The more you post the more stupid you sound. I didn’t ask you for what sounded the worse, I asked you if you would give me the same consideration of not being reckless if I ran over your kid while using a cell phone. Obviously you can’t handle that one question.
Now you seem to think that the child wondering off, which has happened to anyone who has children, covers a death due to reckless driving. One is not better or worse to the exclusion of the other. Paint whatever senerio you want about why a child was in the road son, but please tell me why that absolves a driver from the resposibility to drive without distractions.
Now I know you won’t do this, so let me dismiss you and your ignorance with this. Drive carefully. You’ve decieved yourself into believing your own ignorance, but I’m not so sure other courts will be so lenient with you if you kill someone while using a cell phone instead of driving saefly.
Posted by ( Article I ) on July 14, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Again AGAIN it is not about black or white. Just because you are black, you TRY to see it in a different way.
Guess what genious, I am black. So I don’t need your approval to see things differently than you. That statement is proof of the mental lazyness common in racists.
Now I say that because your post moves you from being just plain silly, squarely into a full participant of a study done by Ferris University. They did a detailed study on the culture of racism in this country. One point, simply put, is that the racist can’t fathom that black people can think for themselves. They have to either be told what to think, or what they think has to be approved by what the racist’s wants him to think. It’s long been a wish for racists that black people be seen and not heard.
Not all black people think the same way you do. You should be more like TD Jakes than Al Sharpton. Read his works and get enlightened. I don’t choose to see it in any light. I was raised not to care about skin color. You were obviously raised different than me.
Again this is what insitutional racism does. You take full lincense to tell black people who they should or should not listen too. You even give yourself permission to tell black people how they should think., or who their leaders should be. So here you are proposing to tell me how to think.
I lived through the dog attacks, the water hoses, the school closings and pool fillings to keep blacks in their place, the back door, the insults, ect. I had to learn how to grow up to be a man in a society that even now places no value on black people. I was in law enforcement and I was a Correctional Officer. Do you know what that means? I protected you sorry racists with my life. That also means I know what reckless driving is.
I broke the color line in my nieghborhood, I’ve trained many subordinates just to have them promoted over me. I could go on, but my point is I lived racism up close and personal. I know what it is. I have generations of experience and a life time of the type of arrogant racist comments you make here, telling me to forget my life’s experience because it doesn’t fit into what your life has been.
Kaylie’s family is trying to do the right thing. You should do the same and let it go.
Now that’s interesting. For years one of the tag lines you hear from white people is how black people have to take responsibility for what they do, but there is a definate pattern of not holding white people to the same standard. Again, institutional racism allows you to absolve Kaylie from doing the same thing you would demand of black people.
By the way, I am not your honey
Another classic example. In your first post to me you addressed me as dearest, I address you in the same manner and I get the quote above. You see how you’ve let insitutional racism premeate your every thought?
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