He admitted to the Supreme Court that he killed his pregnant common-law wife but 31-year-old Lloyd Brakeman won't spend even a day in jail for it. Brakeman was charged for the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Irene Pamela Gibson which occurred on November 20th of 2004 in the couple's home at the corner of Alexandria and Baghdad Streets. Gibson was shot with a.357 Magnum revolver which he claims he found in his yard. He also claimed the shooting was an accident. Police initially charged Brakeman with murder, but he was indicted for manslaughter by negligence, and yesterday he pled guilty to the lesser charge of causing death by careless conduct. But instead of sending Brakeman to jail, this morning Justice Adolph Lucas fined him $18,000. $10,000 will go to Gibson's family and the other $8,000 to the court. We got Brakeman's reaction to the verdict.
Lloyd Brakeman, Pled Guilty
"I find it to be necessary because it was an accident. It is not something I intentionally did. Things do happen which words can't explain and the one thing I can tell anybody is that an empty gun can kill and for your loved one it really hurts."
Keith Swift,
Some people will say you killed this woman and you were only fined $18,000 which is unfair.
Lloyd Brakeman,
"I will explain to you that no money could buy life and I wouldn't say it is fair and I wouldn't say it is unfair because it is like I got my self in trouble innocently because it was something I found and I was trying to show my girl it."
Keith Swift,
You pled guilty. Are you guilty?
Lloyd Brakeman,
"Well in a sense yes because I was the one operating and it happened. It is a weight taken off the shoulders but still the memories are a weight by itself. That will never go away, that is something I have to try adjust to live with."
In delivering the sentence, Justice Adolph Lucas says he took into consideration what he described as Brakeman's immaculate police record. He chastened Brakeman for possessing the prohibited firearm but praised him for his cooperation with police. That however isn't good enough for Irene Gibson's family. Her mom, 75-year-old Valence Fuller told Keith Swift this morning that her daughter didn't get justice.
Valence Fuller, Irene's Mother
"I am not satisfied with it. How could a mother ever be satisfied with a verdict like that. She was my youngest daughter. She had six children and he deprived her, he deprived a mother of six children. He deprived the children of a mother. How could this be justice? That is not justice knowing that in his heart he meant to kill my daughter. That is not justice. I am not satisfied with it but there is a God. That is all I have to say."
Keith Swift,
What do you want to say to Irene's family?
Lloyd Brakeman,
"I want to say I am really really really sorry because they are nice people. I didn't have any problem with them and they showed me love and thing the same way."
Keith Swift,
You're going to pay them $10,000. Do you think that's what their daughter is worth?
Lloyd Brakeman,
"No she is worth far more than that. She is worth much more than that to me. I don't know how other people see it but to me that was my family, that is my life, and the kid she was going to have was for me and I can't forgive myself. I have to ask the good Lord to forgive me and the family.
I has already happened and I can't do anything about it. I am really sorry because they are nice people. I know they feel it because they are close to one another. I feel it for them; Miss Agnes the mother, Ruthy the niece, because they are close people, very close to me and my wife. They are okay. I love them all still. It is just that they gave me a distance. I haven't gotten a chance to explain to them my feelings which is something I believe more or less they don't want to hear."
Jules Vasquez,
If you could hand out any advice right now what would that advice be?
Lloyd Brakeman,
"Don't play with guns. It is not a toy. I would even advise mothers and fathers to don't even buy plastic guns and give to their kids. It is just a symbol of what is going to be in years to come. So I pray that things like this happens to no one else from my point of view and I wish that everybody who sees and knows and hear this: do not play with guns, it is not good, it can kill."
Brakeman has to pay Irene Gibson's family the ten thousand dollars by September 13th of 2008. He has until September 13th of 2007 to pay the court. If he fails to do so, he will spend a year in prison. There is no penalty if he doesn't pay the family. He says that as a fisherman, he can only go to the sea to make the money to pay them.
