Jodi Burnett

Early yesterday morning, Jodi Burnett — a 40 year old wife and mother of five children — was killed in a senseless collision. She was in her pickup truck, on her newspaper delivery route. Stopped in a left-hand turn lane, she was rear-ended by a BMW allegedly traveling at over 100 miles per hour, driven by 19 year old Jonathan Dallo. The details, from the San Diego Union Tribune’s most recent article on the crash:

Pennings said Burnett was waiting to turn left from eastbound state Route 94 onto Rancho Miguel Road when her Ford F-150 truck was hit by the BMW about 4 a.m.

“Witnesses said the BMW was traveling at speeds of 100 mph and passing in the left-turn lane,” Pennings said.

The impact threw the truck onto its side on the westbound side of Route 94, Pennings said. Burnett, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the cab.

The BMW came to a stop about 80 yards farther east. The driver, identified as Jonathan Dallo, was uninjured, Pennings said.

A hard-working mother, on the job at 4 a.m., waiting in a left-hand turn lane, killed by a thoughtless, irresponsible young man driving like a maniac. That is so, so sad. And it is infuriating at the same time, because experience tells us that most likely this young man will suffer very little punishment. The all-too-usual pattern is that the judge (and jury, if there is one) will treat this as if it was an “accident” — outside of anyone’s control, without holding the perpetrator accountable for his actions. We’ll most likely hear things like “Oh, he’s such a young man, and young men make mistakes — we don’t want to ruin his life over one mistake!” and more such drivel, none of which will be of much consolation to Jodi’s family.

In recent years, I have personally seen a lot of driving behavior like that which took Jodi’s life. Not all of it was done by young men, either — a surprising number of women were amongst those that I saw. I have felt personally threatened on many occasions. I’d like to be surrounded by drivers who felt a sense of responsibility for the welfare of those around them; unfortunately a minority of drivers routinely behave in a reckless and dangerous fashion — like Jodi’s killer — and they are highly visible.

I’d like to never again have to read about someone like Jodi being killed. I don’t want to be killed like Jodi. I can only think of one way to persuade the knuckle-dragging idiots like Jodi’s killer to behave: threaten them with punishment. Real punishment. Charge the unthinking fool (and the others like him) with the crime he actually committed: first-degree murder, or at the very least second-degree murder and reckless endangerment. I’d like to see a clever prosecutor attempt the argument that Jodi’s killer demonstrated premeditation with his outrageous driving. If that doesn’t fly, the charge second-degree murder (and the reckless endangerment) seems clearly supportable. Put the S.O.B. away, for a long time, where he can’t kill anyone else.

Of course, the prosecutor would have to find a jury willing to hold the killer accountable. I’d like to think that’s possible, though I have to admit I may be wrong there. In one of California’s many liberal bastions, I’m sure I’ll not live long enough to see a jury do its job. Here in the much more conservative countryside where I live, I think we have a fighting chance.

Jodi’s killer needs to be held accountable for his actions — for the sake of Jodi, her family, and the rest of us who would like to live out our days without being murdered.

RIP, Jodi Burnett. May your family find the strength to make it through this awful experience, and keep you bright in their memories.

May you rot in a prison cell for the next 30 or 300 years, Jonathan Dallo. Suffering would be good, especially if others' knowledge of it deters similar crimes.