In the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, March 8th, two would-be males decided, for kicks to steal a car. Whee fun.
As cars are wont to do, it was in need of a refill. Stopping in at an Esso station in Maple Ridge, they proceeded to fill the tank with $12.30 worth of unleaded gasoline, and make a run for it without paying.
An employee of the gas station, one Grant DePatie, filled with aspirations of heroism when he should have just let them go, stepped in front of the car, attempting to stop them.
They ran him over. Those ignorant little fucks. He was only 24. However, not only did they run him over, they dragged his body underneath the car for 7.5 klicks of Maple Ridge roads. (That's almost 18 blocks) at speeds of up to 45 mph.
What possesses these savage individuals, to have no sense of ethics, to have no morals or regrets?
THEY KNEW that he was underneath the car, they could hear him screaming, begging for them to stop the car. Yet they didn't stop.
***Editor's note, apparently I was misinformed by the media on the actual circumstances of the incident, Grant, was in fact unconcious before being dragged under the vehicle by the assailants, according to the coroners and police. My apologies.***
They DIDN'T STOP and reverse the car, unhooking him from the underbelly of the 1990 Chrysler LeBaron and drive off into the proverbial sunset after leaving him a bloody, battered, broken mess that used to resemble a human being. Instead, they whipped around corners, trying to dislodge him, regardless of the horrible things they were doing to this poor, valiant, stupid, well-intentioned soul that was trapped underneath the car. He finally came loose at the end of the seven and a half kilometer joyride, but not after leaving major portions of his flesh in a gruesome Hansel and Gretel trail behind them, through the suburbs, and after he was quite, quite dead.
They killed another human being, someone who loved, someone who thought, and that people cared about, someone that breathed, and had a mother, siblings, relatives and friends who loved him. He was someone that laughed at jokes, cried when he was upset, and probably sang off key in the shower in the morning. He was someone fiesty, and he had a good sense of humour. He had a sense of ethics, which is more than what can be said for the stupid dickheads that painted the suburbian side-streets of Maple Ridge with his blood.
They killed this person without even thinking about that.
These Boys, (And I call them boys for a reason,) Were 15 and 16 years old. Their identities are being hidden from the media because of the law protecting minors that commit felonies.
What the holy hell happened? Did they suddenly lose the ability to respect life? Did they ever have it in the first place? Are the only people that are important to them in this world, themselves?
Or were they just to terrified to stop, and risk being caught after stealing some piece of shit car? Is that even an excuse? No. It's not.
Perhaps this sounds ruthless, but I wish the police would identify them through the media. Let the public and the reporters eviscerate them. Don't protect them with the rules for minors, put them in adult court. If they don't have respect for the life around them, they deserve to lose the protection of that law, even if they are only teenagers. They forsook that right, when they killed someone in cold blood. Murder, is murder, is murder.
There was a bill passed on March 7th, a day prior to this horrid incident, which is aimed towards the assholes that think they can get away with slamming a vehicle into a human being and just take off heedless of the consequences, due to the fact of anonymity and the person they killed being unable to identify them. This bill ensures that they are slapped with a minimum of at least 7 years in prison.
I'm sure having second degree murder, as well as Grand Theft Auto, and Theft under 1000 isn't much more to worry about being stuck under the belts of these pathetic, cowardly, little boys. I hope they lose the rest of their youth and half of their adulthood rotting in prison, being the cowardly, twinkie prison bitches being ass-raped on a regular basis by some big, beefy Bubba of a prison daddy. Being shown human disrespect in a way similar to how they showed it to Grant DePatie, while he was shrieking underneath the vehicle they had control of, and deciding to ignore it.
I will be exceedingly irate if they get away with doing this without justifiable punishment. I'm literally shaking with anger right now.
No one's life is worth $12.30 in Unleaded Premium. Not a single living soul.
And if you're wondering, Did I know Grant? No, I didn't. This is simply a case of me finding something unjustifiably wrong with the world we live in.
Rest In Peace, Grant.
6 comments:
Dear Linds
I want to say that I really appreciated your article about Grant De Patie on March 9/05.
I knew Grant since he was 11 years old. He used to babysit my son. His mom is my best friend.
I do want to say that Grant didn't have any illusions of heroism. I don't think he thought they would actually hit him, never mind dragging him as far as they did.
His loss will always be felt.
I have started a petition to have this "kid" serve an adult sentence for this willfully brutal crime.
I would love to email you a cover page if you'd care to help.
It may not do anything at all and it might be a complete waste of time. But at least I know I'm trying to do something.
Kids today are getting away with murder and it has to stop.
i dated grant in 10th grade and spent a year at school with him in surrey, he was a nice guy.. a little odd but nice. did what he could and even finished school a litter early with a grade 12 equivalent. did his work experience and completed them. he was generally quiet and didn't usually get in peoples way, which is why i couldn't believe that he would stand in front of a car. iagree with everything you wrote, those kids should be charged as adults, they knew what they were doing. grant was only 24 he would have turned 25 in october.
i dated grant in 10th grade and spent a year at school with him in surrey, he was a nice guy.. a little odd but nice. did what he could and even finished school a litter early with a grade 12 equivalent. did his work experience and completed them. he was generally quiet and didn't usually get in peoples way, which is why i couldn't believe that he would stand in front of a car. iagree with everything you wrote, those kids should be charged as adults, they knew what they were doing. grant was only 24 he would have turned 25 in october.
Who killed Grant?
There is more to this case than is being discussed, and it is certainly worth examining.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act protects the identity of this young offender. (And, by the way, for those of us who think that being raised to Adult Court will compell a true Adult Sentence, sorry, but we've been collectively mislead. Adult Court is not really available to young offenders, it's still Youth Court for young offenders raised to face "Adult punishments", which by the way, are not really adult punishments - ask the Findlay family of Maple Ridge - the accused who raped, mutilated and murdered their mom/wife/sister/daughter has a custodial sentence of max. seven years prior to parole eligibility -and he was raised to "Adult court".) That being said, this is what we "know" about the accused in Grant's murder, based on media information:
1. He, the offender, is 16; not an adult, a kid. He is in remand, bail hearing set for March 30, 2005.
2. He is thought to be a "known" car thief. Reports indicate that there was some level of foster care in place or state intervention undertaken in regard to this individual.
3. He was likely high on crystal meth the night he killed Grant, based on statements made to the media by his "friends".
4. He was not alone, there was a 15 year old passenger in the car, released with no charges.
These are my concerns, I expect I'm not the only one who shares them:
1. Who was responsible for monitoring the daily behaviour of this young person? Parents? Foster parents? Should his nightime car thieving activities have been tolerated? And, who tolerated them? If he was in foster care, who let him out at night? Is there no level of adult or parental responsibility here? Are they culpable in the death of Grant? I suggest they are.
2. Likewise, who was responsible for the 15 year old passenger? A child out all night with a "known" car thief, getting high. Some adult is responsible for this child. Who? Are they culpable in the death of Grant? I would argue so.
3. Was Grant operating under the expectation that he would be paying out the 12 dollars in stolen gas at the end of the night shift? It so, is the Esso owner culpable in the death of Grant? I suggest he is.
Go to the bail hearing. Find out what this child is about. See who is else is responsible for Grant's death. March 30, Port Coquitlam Court House. Free parking under the building. It's a Wednesday - I expect any time between 9:30 and 1:00 pm. Follow the media, maybe Courtroom #1.
I would attend, but I'm at school which is my priority on Wednesdays.
I'm blown away by the amount (and the vehemence) of responses on here. I honestly can't say anything more than that.
I am Grant's mum, and I can't stand the one comment made. He was NOT, and I repeat NOT screaming underneath that vehicle. He was knocked unconscience immediately and died shortly thereafter. The witness, the coroner, and the Maple Ridge RCMP have all confirmed this with me and my husband. Don't believe the creep that is saying this. And to Heather, it wasn't Grant that was a little odd dear, it was you. Let that sweet child of mine rest in peace. This has reduced us to emotional rubble, and are left a horrible loss in our lives. Especially his younger siblings. We've been sentenced to a life of grief all over $12.30 worth of gasoline. I no longer have my eldest son here. We are left to grieve this precious child of ours.
Grant, I love you. I know you're in heaven on a mountain bike of gold
Mum
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