Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
Akron Zips:
Zips advance to Sweet Sixteen
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Brother of the victim in 20-year-old homicide still suffers pain of loss
By Connie Bloom
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007
Mike Pratt couldn't hazard a guess as to what course his life might have taken if his brother had not been beaten to death at the hands of five friends 20 years ago.
The gruesome homicide played out in a Hudson woods, where Roger ''Butch'' Pratt, 22, was lured to be killed. The horror of the premeditated thrill crime unfurled in a series of trials that began in 1990, said Pratt, 45, who is still single and has battled depression.
All five were convicted and sentenced to prison. One was released after serving his time. Two got out and were convicted again for subsequent offenses. Two others are still serving their sentences.
''Until last year, I felt like my life was on hold,'' Pratt said. ''I had to keep fighting the parole boards — it's been a constant fight — to keep them from being released. . . . Then it was, well, I don't have to go to the parole board. What am I going to do now?''
Pratt is enduring the nightmare that brought at least 200 other survivors of violence to the Atrium of the Ocasek Building Monday night for the Angel Tree Ceremony and Homicide Memorial Service. These crimes can keep people like Pratt in their grip indefinitely, said Robert Denton, executive director of the Victim Assistance Program, which initiated the ceremony 13 years ago.
Men and women, old and young dabbed their eyes with tissues and shared their feelings of loss, betrayal and helplessness. They placed white angel ornaments bearing the names of the lost on one of two trees. They brought photographs to post on a wall of remembrance.
''As bad as the other violent crimes are, this one, there's no way to put it back together,'' Denton said. Some survivors will define the rest of their lives in terms of it. ''It's the one crime that's different from others. . . . It takes longer to get over. . . . It needs an objective, positive means of expression. It's what people wrestle with on the outside.''
''I've driven here in snowstorms and blizzards,'' said Pratt, who lives in Warren. ''I've never missed one of these nights. Victim Assistance has been like a family to me. Bob Denton and his family have been very good friends all these years. I like to support others starting out in my footsteps.''
He has decided to loosen his grip on yesteryear and finally toss a rented storage unit full of newspapers he has collected about his brother's murder. The case was so sensational that he couldn't keep up with all the reading. It also inspired two made-for-TV movies, Whatever Happened to Bobby Earle and Murder in a College Town.
''Somebody has to stand with these people and let them know we care about their loss,'' said Akron Deputy Mayor Dave Liebreth. ''This is an opportunity to be with others who share their loss.''
Connie Bloom can be reached at 330-996-3568 or cbloom@ thebeaconjournal.com.
Mike Pratt couldn't hazard a guess as to what course his life might have taken if his brother had not been beaten to death at the hands of five friends 20 years ago.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
