How not to relate with victims
The tragic case of the beating of Zach Sowers is once again making news in Baltimore City. If you don’t know already, Mr. Sowers was beaten to death while walking to his home on the outskirts of Patterson Park in east Baltimore. The attack left him in a coma, and he eventually died as a result of his injuries. However, the three defendants in the case took plea deals that precluded prosecutors from charging them with murder if the victim subsequently died.
Anna Sowers, the victim’s widow, has been vocal in her displeasure with the way the case was handled by the Baltimore City States Attorney’s Office, and has advocated for changes in the law to give more protection to victims.
Maryland’s Daily Record reports that a protest was held yesterday in front of the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse. The protest was organized by Mrs. Sowers to call for the firing of Margaret “Marty” Burns, official spokesperson for the state’s attorney’s office. This stems from comments attributed to Ms. Burns in a local legal publication where she apparently minimized the injuries to Mr. Sowers in the context of defending the plea deals given to his attackers. Apparently she characterized his appearance as that of a “sleeping baby” despite the fact that he had just been beaten into a coma by three men. These comments were refuted in a public statement by Mr. Sowers’ treating physician.
We do not handle criminal cases at our firm. I am interested in this case because we deal with injury victims every day. This is a textbook example of how not to interact with victims, their friends and family. I understand that all of us occasionally let slip something that might be better phrased. However, when media and victim relations is your whole job, I think we can expect a little more intelligence and sensitivity. Regardless of the accuracy of the statements Ms. Burns made, the fact that she made them at all, in a high-profile case, in an interview with a reporter, is reason enough to question her judgment. This is especially important in a justice system that depends on cooperation from victims and witnesses. If this is an example of how victims and their loved ones are treated, its easy to see why there are segments of the community that have very little faith in the system.
