(NEW YORK) — The mother of Gabby Petito has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of Brian Laundrie in the latest legal action stemming from the homicide.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida on Friday, claims that Laundrie intentionally killed the 22-year-old travel blogger, and as a direct result of his conduct, Petito’s mother and father — Nicole Schmidt and Joseph Petito — “incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort.”
The complaint was filed by Schmidt, the administrator of Petito’s estate, against Barry Spivey, identified in the suit as the court-appointed curator of Laundrie’s estate.
Schmidt is seeking damages in excess of $30,000 and is demanding a trial by jury. ABC News has reached out to Spivey for comment.
This is the latest lawsuit involving the death of Petito, who disappeared last year while on a road trip with Laundrie, her fiance.
In a civil lawsuit filed in Florida in March against Laundrie’s parents, Petito’s parents alleged that Laundrie told his parents he had killed Petito before he returned home alone from their trip and that his parents were trying to help him flee.
Petito’s parents are seeking damages in excess of $30,000 in that complaint.
Attorneys for the Laundries denied the allegations and sought to dismiss the lawsuit. A jury trial in the case is scheduled to begin in August 2023.
Petito went missing in late August while on a trip through Colorado and Utah. Laundrie returned home to Florida on Sept. 1, investigators said.
Two weeks later, Laundrie was named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance before he was reported missing on Sept. 17.
On Sept. 19, search crews discovered a body in Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming that was later determined to be Petito’s. An autopsy found she died from strangulation, officials said.
Search crews combed the Florida wetlands where Laundrie was last seen and found his remains in Carlton Reserve, near North Port, on Oct. 20.
(NEW YORK) — Although COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations rates have been steadily on the rise across the United States, nowhere have the increases been more significant than in the Northeast.
Across the New England and greater New York and New Jersey regions, infection rates are nearing their highest levels in three months. COVID-19 related hospitalizations are increasing too — with daily admissions levels more than doubling in the last month.
Overnight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its community risk levels, pushing many counties across the Northeast, particularly in New York and Massachusetts, to the “high” alert level. The “high” community level suggests there is a “high potential for healthcare system strain” and a “high level of severe disease”, and thus, the CDC recommends that people wear a mask in public indoor settings, including schools.
“If we were still using the original CDC COVID-19 risk classification, the northeast would be bright red, indicating uncontrolled community spread. This part of the country has some of the highest vaccination and booster rates, yet infections are still increasing,” Dr. Maureen Miller, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told ABC News.
Although Manhattan and the rest of New York City are still considered “medium” risk, transmission rates have increased by nearly 33% in the last 10 days. Much of upstate New York is also now colored in orange for “high” risk.
Suffolk County, home to the city of Boston, as well as six other surrounding counties in Massachusetts are also now considered communities at “high” risk. Across the greater Boston area, wastewater levels are at their highest point since early February, with 20 to 29 year-old residents reporting the highest numbers of infections.
In many areas of Vermont and Maine, community levels have also reached the high or medium risk threshold, data shows. And across the region, six Northeast states — Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey — have the highest number of new cases, per capita, over the last week, of all 50 states.
“I do think that the wave we’re seeing is a real one, and probably much bigger than we appreciate. Since most cases of COVID-19 are not being reported — because people are testing at home or not at all — I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the number of daily infections now is higher than during delta, maybe even winter 2020-21,” David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News.
Health experts say the increases are driven by a confluence of factors, including the easing of masking requirements and other COVID-19 restrictions, as well as highly contagious omicron subvariants, most notably, BA.1.12.1. The subvariant is projected to account for about 36.5% of cases nationwide and 62% of infections in the New York-New Jersey region. BA.1.12.1 is estimated to be between 30% and 80% more transmissible than the original omicron strain.
“It is becoming clear that the latest version of omicron BA.2 and its offspring BA2.12.1 can evade immunity developed as a result of an original omicron infection. Vaccination for those who were infected–even with omicron–is still highly recommended to prevent the severe outcomes experienced primarily by the unvaccinated,” Miller said. “The big game changer in how this wave plays out is human behavior. There is now a huge body of evidence that proves that mask wearing helps slow the spread of COVID-19… I wear a mask every time I enter an indoor public place, from the supermarket to an airplane. Life can go on, but you need to be smart about it.”
Amid looming questions surrounding a potential return of mask and vaccine mandates, New York City Mayor Adams said Friday that officials are closely monitoring the increases, reiterating that the city will be ready to “pivot and shift” should reinstating mitigation measures be deemed necessary.
“We can’t control what this virus is doing. But we can control our response and we’re doing that,” Adams said Friday during an on-camera press conference. “Yes, we are concerned [about the numbers]. Yes, we are. But preparation, not panic, preparation, not panic. We are prepared as the city and we’re not going to panic.”
When asked whether the city would consider reinstating its mask mandate for K-12 schools and proof of vaccination requirement, Adams insisted that the city is “not there yet.”
“We’re going to pivot and shift like COVID pivots and shifts. Every morning we meet, and based on that outcome of our meetings, we’ll making an announcement where we’re going to go, if this stays at this level, we may pivot and shift and still do mandates, and we see an increase in hospitalization and deaths, that is alarming, we may shift. COVID pivots and shifts, I’m going to pivot and shift,” Adams reiterated. “No matter what happens, we’re going to make a determination after we have our morning meetings.”
Adams lauded the city’s high vaccination and booster rates, as well as access to at-home tests, which he said is helping to prevent a significant surge in hospitalizations and deaths.
Earlier this week, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told CNBC that if infections and hospitalizations continue to rise, masking and vaccination requirements certainly could return.
“It’s clear that if we moved into a high risk and high alert environment, we’d be seriously considering bringing those mandates back,” Vasan said on Tuesday.
(FLORENCE, Ala.) — The car linked to escaped Florence, Alabama, inmate Casey White and jail employee Vicky White was ditched in Williamson County, Tennessee, just hours after the jail break, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities first spotted the car around 3 p.m. CT on April 29 — hours after the escape — and it wasn’t until Thursday night that the car was connected to the Whites, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sharon Puckett told ABC News.
There’s no sign that murder suspect Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, are still in the area of Williamson County, which is about a two-hour drive north of Florence, the sheriff’s office added.
The vehicle used by escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and former Correctional Officer Vicky White has been located in Williamson Co in Bethesda. There is NO sign the two are still in our area. The SUV was reported abandoned a week ago. It was identified last night @WCSO_Sheriffpic.twitter.com/LPa1IWE80x
Authorities with the U.S. Marshals Service searched the area Friday morning but found nothing to indicate that the pair was still in Williamson County, Puckett said.
“We don’t believe they’re anywhere near us,” she said.
However, authorities are still canvassing the area for any witnesses and are looking into whether any cars were reported stolen around the time the Whites’ car was ditched, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a news conference Friday.
Nothing was left behind in the car, the sheriff said.
Vicky White withdrew approximately $90,000 in cash from multiple banks before allegedly fleeing, Lauderdale County, Alabama, District Attorney Chris Connolly told ABC News. He said the banks were local to the Lauderdale County area, but he could not say when she withdrew the money.
On April 18 — just days before she allegedly fled with inmate Casey White — Vicky White closed on the sale of her home for just over $95,000. Singleton has said that investigators suspect Vicky White is “flush” with cash from the sale.
It’s now been one week since Casey White and Vicky White went missing. The two are not related.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the April 29 escape from the Lauderdale County jail.
The pair “may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
There’s no indication anyone else was involved in the escape, the sheriff said.
Vicky White and Casey White disappeared after Vicky White allegedly told her colleagues that she was taking Casey White to the Lauderdale County Courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” the sheriff said. He didn’t have a court appearance scheduled, Singleton said.
Vicky White also allegedly told her colleagues that she was going to seek medical attention after dropping the inmate off at court because she wasn’t feeling well, but Singleton said his office confirmed that no appointment was made.
Singleton said Friday that his message to Vicky White is: “Hopefully we find you safe.”
Singleton has described Vicky White, a 17-year veteran of the department, as “an exemplary employee” until now.
Vicky White has submitted her retirement papers and the day of the escape was her last day, the sheriff said.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for the stabbing Connie Ridgeway in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Casey White was described by authorities as 6 feet, 9 inches tall and approximately 330 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes and numerous tattoos, “including some affiliated with the Alabama-based white supremacist prison gang Southern Brotherhood,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Vicky White was described by authorities as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 145 pounds, with brown eyes and blond hair, though the U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday that she may have tinted her hair a darker shade. She was also described as reportedly having a “waddling gait.”
The USMS has put together two example images to identify the height differentiation between Casey White and Vicky White in relation to each other as well as the vehicle they are believed to be driving. pic.twitter.com/AAzKrfU934
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey White’s capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has offered a $5,000 reward each for information leading to the apprehension of either individual.
A warrant was issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
ABC News’ Whitney Lloyd and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Missing Florence, Alabama, jail employee Vicky White withdrew approximately $90,000 in cash from multiple banks before allegedly fleeing with an inmate suspected of murder, officials said.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly told ABC News the banks were local to the Lauderdale County area, but he could not say when she withdrew the money.
On April 18 — just days before she allegedly fled with inmate Casey White — Vicky White closed on the sale of her home for just over $95,000. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton has said that investigators suspect Vicky White is “flush” with cash from the sale.
It’s now been one week since murder suspect Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, went missing. The two are not related.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape from the Lauderdale County jail. The pair “may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Vicky White and Casey White disappeared on the morning of April 29, after Vicky White allegedly told her colleagues that she was taking Casey White to the Lauderdale County Courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” the sheriff said. He didn’t have a court appearance scheduled, Singleton said.
Vicky White also allegedly told her colleagues that she was going to seek medical attention after dropping the inmate off at court because she wasn’t feeling well, but Singleton said his office confirmed that no appointment was made.
Singleton has described Vicky White, a 17-year veteran of the department, as “an exemplary employee” until now.
Vicky White had submitted her retirement papers and the day of the escape was her last day, the sheriff said.
The pair may be driving a 2007 orange or copper Ford Edge with minor damage to the left back bumper, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for the stabbing of Connie Ridgeway in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Casey White was described by authorities as 6 feet, 9 inches tall and approximately 330 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes and numerous tattoos, “including some affiliated with the Alabama-based white supremacist prison gang Southern Brotherhood,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Vicky White was described by authorities as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 145 pounds, with brown eyes and blond hair, though the U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday that she may have tinted her hair a darker shade. She was also described as reportedly having a “waddling gait.”
(NEW YORK) — Michelle Obama is honoring her mom in a special way.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, the former first lady announced that an exhibit in the highly anticipated Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will pay tribute to her mother, Marian Robinson.
In a video Friday shared first with ABC News’ Good Morning America, Obama reflected on the close relationship she has with her mother and the values that Robinson instilled in her at a young age.
“Growing up with my mom was always an adventure,” Obama said. “It was trips to the library as a toddler to learn about ABCs; it was the entire family piling into our car to go to the local drive-in; and my mom inviting family over for New Year’s Eve, passing around her special hors d’oeuvres and toasting in the new year.”
“But above all else,” she added, “my mother gave me that nonstop, unconditional love that was so important for me to grow up. In so many ways, she fostered in me a deep sense of confidence in who I was and who I could be by teaching me how to think for myself, how to use my own voice and how to understand my own worth. I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without my mom.”
The exhibit, called “Opening the White House,” will focus on community and family while also making sure everyone who visits the presidential center “feels at home,” Obama said.
The upcoming exhibit will also feature scale replicas of the White House’s East Room, where the Obamas once held dinners, as well as the Blue Room and the South Lawn, where the family hosted garden tours and the Easter Egg Roll.
“This is just one part of the story we’re telling at the Obama Presidential Center,” Obama said. “I am so excited to announce that we will be dedicating a space at the Obama Presidential Center in her honor.”
In her memoir, Becoming, Obama opened up about her mother, whom she called the “first grandmother” because she lived with them in the White House. During their eight years there, Robinson would help Obama balance the demands of raising a private family in a very public house.
Obama ended her Mother’s Day tribute to her mom by saying that she hopes everyone will be able to see the exhibit when the presidential center opens to the public in 2025.
“In the years ahead, we want to welcome you to Chicago to see it — maybe even with your mom,” she said. “So Happy Mother’s Day everyone. And especially to you, mommy. Love you.”
(NEW ORLEANS) — The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off in New Orleans last weekend after two years and three cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The energy is just out of this world. I feel like there’s just such an overwhelming feeling of like, love and camaraderie — from the musicians to the participants,” Robin Barnes, who is known as the Songbird of New Orleans, told ABC News.
Barnes is set to perform at the festival on Sunday, its closing day.
For New Orleans — considered by many as the birthplace of jazz — the festival is the city’s musical heartbeat.
The 10-day cultural festival attracts over 400,000 visitors to New Orleans each year and draws musicians from around the world and pumps an estimated $400 million into the local economy.
“The economical side of it is extremely significant,” Barnes said, adding that while tourism in the city ebbs and flows throughout the year, Jazz Fest is a “musical mecca” and its return is a “game changer” for musicians around the city.
“It’s almost just a breath of relief,” Barnes, who is part of the jazz duo Da Lovebirds with her husband Casey Pat, said.
“For musicians, with the gig economy, every gig is a paycheck … so coming from a pandemic, we’ve all had to learn to basically survive with no money,” she added.
And the sorrows for the jazz community amid the pandemic have been immense in other ways. The human toll of the virus touched every corner of the jazz world as dozens of jazz musicians and producers died of COVID-19, including New Orleans jazz legend Ellis Marsalis.
“I feel like the amount of loss or lack of having music during the pandemic was able to really just force us to have such a renewed appreciation and love for the music,” Barnes said.
Hurricane Ida, which also wreaked havoc in New Orleans in September, swept away the Karnofsky Tailor Shop and Residence, a historic jazz landmark that Louis Armstrong once considered a second home and many musicians affected by the destruction.
As Jazz Fest returned to the city, the New Orleans Public School Board reversed a 100-year-old rule banning jazz in New Orleans schools.
Kenneth Ducote, NOLA public schools historian, found the obscure rule and brought it to the board’s attention.
“There was no prior discussion. There was no analysis, there was no theory, theoretical analysis of jazz,” he told ABC News’ Good Morning America of the rule.
Although it was mostly unenforced, Ducote brought it to the school board’s attention which reversed the rule.
“It was really important for us to pass it because, to be honest, this is a policy that was rooted in racism,” Olin Parker, president of the New Orleans Parrish school board, told GMA.
Barnes, who is the mother of a 2-year-old daughter named Riley, said reversing the rule is a “symbolic” move that shows the community’s appreciation for jazz and its impact on New Orleans history.
As for Riley, who was born during the pandemic, Barnes said she is excited to have her daughter experience Jazz Fest for the first time.
Although jazz is the cornerstone of the event, the festival celebrates all the indigenous music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana and includes music from various genres, including blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, country and bluegrass, according to the festival’s website.
This year’s headlining acts include The Who, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band, Luke Combs, Lionel Richie, The Black Crowes, The Avett Brothers, Erykah Badu and Norah Jones.
Barnes said that the festival “encompasses the diversity” of New Orleans and so many people come because “there is something for everyone.”
(CINCINNATI) — Crossing the finish line at a marathon is often a time to celebrate, but one running family is facing criticism after their 6-year-old was allowed to enter and complete the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati last weekend.
Rainier Crawford, 6, ran the 26.2-mile course with his five siblings and parents, finishing in 8 hours and 35 minutes.
“Some of the training was like, hard, but I falled sometimes but sometimes, when I did one, it was like, normal,” Rainier told Good Morning America.
Crawford’s father, Ben Crawford, wrote on Instagram that his youngest son did struggle physically during the marathon.
“He was struggling physically and wanted to take a break and sit every three minutes,” Crawford wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday. “After 7 hours, we finally got to mile 20 and only to find an abandoned table and empty boxes. He was crying and we were moving slow so I told him I’d buy him two sleeves [of potato chips] if he kept moving.”
Crawford added that he was impressed by his son’s abilities.
“I didn’t know if he was going to be able to do it so to be able to run alongside of him and to watch his little body, it’s pretty mind-blowing,” he told GMA.
The social media post has since sparked an outcry, with some saying the family did it for likes on Instagram and some going so far as to accuse the Crawfords of child abuse.
Kara Goucher, a two-time Olympian and long-distance runner, was among those speaking out, writing on Twitter Wednesday, “I don’t know who needs to hear this but a six year old cannot fathom what a marathon will do to them physically. A six year old does not understand what embracing misery is. A six year who is ‘struggling physically’ does not realize they have the right to stop and should.”
Organizers of the Flying Pig Marathon defended their decision to let every member of the Crawford family participate in the 2022 marathon.
“The intent was to try to offer protection and support if they were on our course (Medical, Fluid and Replenishment),” Iris Simpson Bush, the president and CEO of the marathon’s parent organization Pig Works, wrote in an open letter posted to the organization’s website.
The nonprofit also told GMA they knew the Crawfords would run the Flying Pig race despite the marathon’s age limitation, which usually only lets runners 18 and older participate, a factor that played into the decision to let the Crawfords run.
“Our requirement of 18+ for participation in the marathon will be strictly observed moving forward,” Bush added in the open letter.
Experts say a child’s growth plates, the tissue near long bones, isn’t fully developed at age 6 and an extreme activity like running a marathon could be dangerous for children.
Dr. Alok Patel told GMA that he would be concerned with letting a young child run a marathon.
“If a young child were to run a marathon, I’m worried about electrolyte abnormalities, nausea, vomiting, heatstroke, all these signs and symptoms that may not be that clear in a young child,” Patel said.
The Crawfords said they don’t pressure their children to do intense activities like run a marathon but follow their kids’ lead if they say they want to try it out.
“We really care about our kids’ emotional and physical health. But we also care about their agency and if they want to do something, and we, you know, assess the risks and figure out if it’s OK,” Kami Crawford, Rainier’s mom, said.
(NEW YORK) — Days before the second anniversary of Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance, her husband Barry Morphew and the couple’s two daughters are speaking out for the first time since murder charges against Barry Morphew were dropped.
“We’ve been silent for a long time and we’ve decided that we finally want to break the silence,” daughter Mallory Morphew told ABC News in an exclusive interview airing Friday on Good Morning America.
Barry Morphew added: “I just love my girls and I love my wife and I just want her to be found.”
Suzanne Morphew, 49, vanished on May 10, 2020, which was Mother’s Day, authorities said. She reportedly left for a bike ride and never returned home, authorities said. She’s never been found.
Barry Morphew was arrested a year later, in May 2021, on charges including first-degree murder.
But last month all charges against Barry Morphew related to the alleged murder were dropped.
Prosecutors said in a filing that they believe officials are close to finding Suzanne Morphew’s body, and that proving she’s dead is “the most influential fact of consequence.” Prosecutors said examining Suzanne Morphew’s body could incriminate or exculpate her husband.
Prosecutors also cited the judge “severely limiting our expert’s testimony.”
“Even if the Court were to partially reconsider … the People would still be left without several key expert witnesses initially endorsed,” prosecutors said. “Without this crucial evidence, and without the victim’s body, the People cannot move forward at this time in good faith.”
The charges against Barry Morphew were dismissed without prejudice meaning charges can be refiled in the future.
Suzanne and Barry Morphew’s two daughters are both standing behind their dad.
“We just know our dad better than anyone else and we know he was not involved in our mom’s disappearance,” Mallory Morphew said.
The family hopes to begin the healing process and is focused on finding out what happened to Suzanne Morphew.
Mallory Morphew said, “These last few years have been the most painful thing that we’ve ever experienced. We just miss our mom so much and we want her to be found.”
The district attorney’s office told ABC News that investigators “have been diligently searching for Suzanne Morphew since she was reported missing … are continuing to do so.”
Prosecutors said in court filings that authorities believe they’re “close to discovering” the body but “weather has complicated efforts” because the area where she’s believed to be is buried under several feet of snow.
Daughter Macy Morphew added: “It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster and just traumatizing.”
Mallory Morphew said, “I just hope that [the district attorney] will step up to the plate and do everything she can to find our mom — because what they’ve done is not fair and we’re never going to stop looking for our mom.”
Barry Morphew’s attorney Iris Eytan claims the authorities have mishandled the case and is planning to file a complaint against the district attorney.
“Prosecutors need to be held responsible and they need to pay for the damage they’ve caused to Barry, which is, frankly, nearly irreparable at this point, because it’s hard for anybody to believe that Barry is not who they claim he was,” Eytan said.
Eytan added: “If you want to honor Suzanne, and you want to honor the daughters, go find Suzanne.”
ABC News’ Lindsey Schwartz, Jenner Smith and Doug Vollmayer contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Anthony Harris, who was convicted of killing his 5-year-old neighbor in 1999 at the age of 13 but had that conviction overturned in appeal, was a kind, hardworking student who could never be involved in a murder, Harris’ sixth-grade teacher told ABC News.
Jennie Arbogast, who taught Harris a year before Devan’s murder, spoke exclusively to ABC News’ “20/20” for the first time since Harris’ ordeal. She said she has feelings of regret over her community’s response to her former student’s arrest and wrongful conviction.
Devan’s body was found in a wooded area behind her home in New Philadelphia, Ohio, in 1998, and the police arrested and charged Harris with her murder. In 2000, an appeals court ruled that Harris’ taped confession, which was the key piece of evidence used to prosecute him, was coerced, and he was released from custody.
“I was picturing my student sitting in that conference or standing at my desk doing his best to answer the questions the way he would think I wanted him to answer them,” she told ABC News.
Arbogast, who was not asked to testify during Harris’ trial and only followed the proceedings, said there should have been more of a show of support for Harris.
“I felt like our mostly white community had let him down. I felt like Anthony should’ve had a parade of people behind him saying ‘absolutely not,'” she said.
Arbogast said she was disturbed by the reports that Harris was interrogated by an officer alone and confessed to the killing. Harris told ABC News that he felt immense pressure to confess so that he could go home.
Arbogast said Harris would “answer questions in a way that he would think the adult would want him to answer them.”
“I felt like they asked him leading questions and he was answering them in a way that he was being helpful,” she said. “I just felt like they didn’t even bother to find out what happened to that little girl.”
Arbogast said Harris’ case was still on her mind long after he was released from prison.
She wrote a letter to the editor of American Lawyer magazine in 2009 after it published a follow-up piece on the case where she expressed remorse for not doing more during Harris’ two years of legal battles.
“I never told Anthony that I thought him a good student and I believed in him. And I never for a moment believed him guilty, not for a second. As a teacher, I felt I failed him by not somehow reaching out to him and saying that I believed in him. Maybe if one person had, others would have, too,” she wrote.
Arbogast said she hoped those who wrongfully pegged Harris as a killer remember the trauma inflicted on him and express some remorse.
“But I hope that one day, he will not be seen by the naysayers at all,” she said. “I hope that history does his side of the story right.”
