Father of Toms River Boy Who Shot 6-Year Old Brandon Holt Deserves Jail Time

What took so long? Indictments have finally come down against Anthony Senatore of Toms River. He's the father of the 4 year old boy who grabbed one of Senatore's many unsecured guns, brought it outside, and accidentally shot and killed 6-year old Brandon Holt. He's been charged with 5 counts of 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of 3rd degree endangering the welfare of a child, as well as a disorderly persons offense. It's about time. This happened over 5 months ago. Nearly half a year just for an indictment in a case that seems pretty obvious.

What's not so obvious to me is how anyone could think he doesn't deserve jail time. I read as much as I could about the indictments coming down yesterday, including a poll our own Jim Gearhart has up on his page. As I write this, the poll is showing almost 32% NOT in favor of jail time. Perhaps these numbers will change by the time you read this.

So 32% think no jail time? For the unnecessary taking of a 6 year old boy's life? Are you kidding me? Best I can tell a crime of the 2nd degree generally calls for 5 to maximum 10 years. But you can bet with how sentences more often than not run concurrently rather than consecutively, added with the zeal with which prosecutors seem to have for clearing out dockets through plea bargaining, I imagine this guy could get a year or two at best. When in my opinion, the 5 to 10 years wouldn't be nearly enough. Even a 10 year sentence would put him out as a free man when Brandon would still have been a minor of 16. Was it murder? No. But it was such callous indifference for human life that led a man to be this stupid, this reckless with loaded weapons, that it might as well have been.