We received this letter this morning from Ed Minardo, director of Genesee Justice. It's from the mother of Desean Gooch, and it's addressed to the Genesee County Community. Here it is, in full:
Thanks to the Genesee County Community
On 10-9-08, it will be the second anniversary of the date that my son Desean Gooch was killed in Batavia. I want to take this opportunity first to remember the short but joyful life of Desean, and also to send a thank you to those agencies and individuals that were of great comfort and assistance to us in our family’s time of need. This was especially important to us as we had to endure Desean’s death, police investigation, prosecution and disposition from out of state. The staff of Genesee Justice was a constant source of information, support and caring that kept us connected to agencies and events that were taking place. The outstanding efforts by the Officers and Detectives of the Batavia City Police Department in identifying the individuals and evidence involved in Desean’s shooting death were remarkable. In addition to their professional demeanor, they were there for our family as compassionate human beings to recognize the depth of our loss. The Genesee County District Attorney’s Office did a wonderful job of presenting the facts in the trial and including us in the plea offerings of the various defendants. We would also like to extend our appreciation to County Court Judge Noonan and the jury for their role in the trial which ultimately resulted in the conviction and incarceration of the individual directly responsible for Desean’s death. The tragedy of Desean’s death was made a bit easier to bear with the help of all the caring, professional people in Genesee County. We wanted you to know that you are appreciated and remembered!
The Mother and Family of Desean Gooch
I would like to extend my
I would like to extend my heart felt condolence to the family and friends of the late Desean Gooch.
I would also like to mention that citizens of Dellinger Ave were crucial to finding and convicting SOME of the people involved in that terrible incident.
I would like to extend a personal note to the family of Desean Gooch that everyone involved in the initial investigation worked very hard to find out who was responsible.
I witnessed the investigation from start to finish and I was very upset with how they treated the body of your son desean gooch.Even though your son was shot for being a drug dealer and put our children and fine neighborhood in harms way i still have a problem with how at 4 am his body was wrapped in a blue tarp and set out past the curb and onto the street.
I pray for you and can never pass the spot in front of my house without remembering that site.