The Friends and Families of Victims Tesify

DSC_1019This morning we hear from some of the friends and family of victims. First witness Diane Sussan told how it was like being in a car as a 23 year old girl and having it machine gunned. Very effective. Tears during telling. Makes us see the horror of these killings.

Tells how Michael Milano leaned forward on steering wheel and didn’t answer questions. How she fought with Boston police insisting she be able to go to hospital with boyfriend Louis who she saw after shooting leaning forward in back seat and who answered her when she asked if he was all right in a low “no.” She tells how she was in hospital with boyfriend Louis who is paralyzed and can’t talk. How she herself had a bullet go through her arm which she did not realize until she got to hospital even though she knew her arm felt hot under her Pea coat. How she learned Michael got killed . For next two years the nurses held phone up to Louis’s ears as she talked to him. The nurses telling how he was reacting to her calls.

Finally she had to go to California and tells how she left Louis to go on with her life but never left him since she had a family and when Louis came to Long Beach she often saw him; her kids felt like Louis parents were their second grandparents. She stayed in touch with him and taking care of him for the 28 years after he was paralyzed and remained in a wheel chair unable to take care of himself and depending on her to suction him out whenever she went to lunch with him.

That was most effective. It will remain with the jurors the rest of the trial. Carney asked an unnecessary question given the compelling nature of her testimony asking her if she knew who shot them.

Michael Milano’s brother Donald gave a short overview of who his brother was – a guy from Winthrop who with his friends were professional bartenders.  Spike O’Toole’s daughter was in. She said Spike lived at 55 Sagamore Street. I live at the corner of Sagamore and Belfort Streets close by.  William O’Brien’s girlfriend who was pregnant with his child was in to tell of how she learned of his death and identify a picture of him.  Tom Angeli was in to talk about learning of his uncle’s killing and that of his dad.

We then took a morning recess very early.