John Duffy officially plead guilty to charges filed by the County attorney this week. Now that the facts are in and he admitted to running down this young woman, what should he received from the judge? What do you think should be his sentence. He already will be required to give up his law licence and he is almost definitely going to be sent to jail. I know that what the guy did was wrong and a life was taken, but for some reason destroying his life in the process doesn’t seem to be just either. I mean it’s not as if he willingly broke into her home and put a gun to her head and blew her brains out. Would it make sense to let him keep his license and pay a huge monetary settlement to her family. Nothing will ever take the grief out of this for them but should John Duffy and his family become destitute over this? Should they lose their house and everything they ever had because of this one mistake?
I guess the answer everyone wants is yes he should. In today’s day and age it’s the equivalent of a lynching. Mind you that he will live and do a significant term in jail, it’s still a financial lynching. His family will now struggle to make ends meat and not to mention the probable divorce he will face as most felons do, but is that what Meghan would have wanted? I don’t know.
I’m asking these questions because I’m torn on the issue. On one hand I’m outraged that this happened and I want to string him up my self. What if it was my daughter, what would I want to happen then? It’s so complex and disgusting that we as a society have been put in this position because this lawyer drank and drove, and ended up killing someone because of it. I would have felt better if their was actually a trial and a jury picked his sentence. I just think that 12 people can be more just than one single Judge.
Maybe I feel a little cheated by the guilty plea. It seems to me that he plead guilty to get a lighter sentence and how is that fair to Meghan’s family?
If this guy would have come forward the next day after “he realized” that he had actually hit a human being rather than a garbage can (which I totally don’t buy), or when he sobered up and had a come to god moment, I would lean toward a lesser sentence. He didn’t do that. The next morning, when he sobered up, he tried to cover up what he did, apparently went to an out of state collision shop to get his truck fixed, and acted in a way that made it obvious that his own self preservation was more important to him that any level of remorse he may have felt about the whole terrible incident.
Also, let’s remember, if he was drunk (which i think anyone with half a brain relaizes that he was) and stopped at the scene of the accident, called 911 and waited for the police and emergency personnel (like a decent human being would have done), he would have been charged with vehicular manslaughter and would be facing far more diar consequences. So, should he receive the maximum penalty allowed under the law, I will not be shedding any tears.
As far as Mr. Duffy’s family, they are also victim’s in this situation. I am very sorry for the predicatment that their husband/father had put them in, however, it does not mitigate his behavior FOLLOWING this terible incident. I want to stress that I am referring to what happened following Meghan’s death. Let’s face it. Many of us have made poor decisions, but it is the way one carries themselves after they have made horrible mistakes that speaks to their character, rather than the fact the poor decision got them into the situation in the first place.
MAXIMUM SENTENCE!!!!
tHE BAR OWNER SHOULD GET IN TROUBLE CIVILLY FOR OVER SERVING. hE WAS DRINKING AT pOUR hOUSE IS THE RUMOR. BETTER GET ANOTHER ATTORNEY MR. POUR HOUSE
I think it’s ridiculous to hold the bar owner resposible for their patrons’ actions. Why the hell should bartenders and waitresses have to babysit their customers? Hold Duffy responsible. No one else. The sooner we stop blaming everyone else for one person’s actions the better off we’ll all be. Hell, if we’re going to sue the bar, maybe we ought to sue Ford Motor Company because Duffy used their product in deadly way. Kinda like gun manufacturers get sued, you know? And I’m just getting started! Maybe we can find out what kind of beer he was drinking and sue them for a little something too. After all, they MADE him drink their beer with all their advertising and free T-shirts! And the road striping must not have been bright enough, so lets go after the Town. Or is it the State? Or the County? I’m sure they’re all in on it somehow, so put ‘em all in the lawsuit!!! Wee, isn’t this fun? We could make millions!!!!
Yeah.
the information is that john has had a long term relationship with someone other than his wife that was his passenger in his vehicle when he went to the mighty taco ( and missed the drive through window) he hit the girl and probably left to avoid having his affair come out in public, God bless the families involved, he has created quite a mess for alot of people
i dont believe at all he shouldve had his license taken away or maximim sentence.
he admitted to drinking.
and he thought he hit the garbage can because he saw papers fly behind him.
the person behind him even stopped. and kept along because she thought the same.
I cant beleive that you believe him when he says he hit a trash can. WOW whatever he is a scumbag that knew what he did and because of his law background he didnt come forward. I think he should be in jail for the rest of his life and his children should know that their coward of a father KILLED someone and didnt do anything. I cant believe that he can only get 7 years. I hope when he gets out his family disowns him. What would he have done if that was one of his children?
DUFFY IS NOTHING BUT A COWARD AND HE WILL SERVE HIS TIME AND ALWAYS KNOW THAT YOU TOOK AWAY A BEAUTIFUL LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOU
I like the tone of the second half of this article, however, I have some issues with the first half that I would like to address.
First of all, I don’t know how the author of this article can compare Duffy to a criminal who, to quote, “…willingly broke into her home and put a gun to her head and blew her brains out.” Rather, in a drunken haze, he WILLINGLY got into his vehicle when he probably shouldn’t have, which resulted in the same outcome, which was: Loving Parents who will never again see their daughter; siblings who will grow up without their sister; and classmates and friends who no longer have their friend Meghan.
Believe me, I am just as sympathetic to Duffy’s family as I am to Meghan’s and feel that they are victims as well in this event that should have been avoided. However, to quote the author, “His family will now struggle …” What about Meghan’s family? Don’t you think that they might have to struggle in dealing with life without Meghan?
Personally, I would like to see Duffy held accountable for his careless actions and recieve the maximum sentence. And as far as, quoting the author one last time, “…destroying his life in the process (of trial and sentencing)…,” I feel that John Duffy should be fortunate that he still has his life, which is more than I can say for his victim, Meghan Sorbera.
I am confident that John Duffy will get what he deserves. He is a liar, a coward, and unfortunatly a killer. He has destroyed the lives of Meghan’s family members, and stole a lifetime of good from the world. Meghan was ready and willing to make sure that the lives of those around her were better.
If it were not for the fact that he knew what he did, and how to hide as well as he did, he would be able to go away for a longer period of time. I am saddened by the fact that we have “loop-holes” like we do in our judicial system. John Duffy know those “loop-holes” all to well, and is trying to use them to his full advantage.
in response to the last paragraph of your article, it is not fair. not in the least. what duffy did was a result of his own negligence…yet as others had said, had he come forward willingly, before the police confronted him, we all would have been saddened, but considered it a tragic accident.
john duffys actions are directly what makes him so guilty, and what makes thisa crime, not an accident. and as for serving “the maximum” he is facing between 2.5 and 7 years, if he gets prison time at all. how is that justice? 7 years….that would mean that meghan would have been 26 at the time of his release. she would have just started out her new life, had been falling in love, starting her career, moving into a new apartment….there are so many things that meghan will never be able to do… and to think that in 7 years maximum that duffy will be a free man… that is no where close to justice.
this incident obviously does not effect him. no normal person would do what he did, to hit someone: hard enough to, and i quote “fling them 30 feet before landing on the door step of a near by house” and then go to great lengths to cover up the “accident”…there are few things worse in life…even cold blooded murderers usually have a “motive” a justification in at least their own minds which eases their guilt of their actions…this was a senseless, pointless slaying; leaving families, friends, classmates, and communities forever changed.
no, 7 years in not nearly enough.
Ashley’s point that Meghan would be 26 at the time of Duffy’s release is the most poignant and intelligent statement I have heard yet. At 26 I was just figuring out what to do with my life. I hadn’t met the love of my life none of my 6 precious kids were even considered yet. As a parent I can’t begin to fathom what the Sorberas have endured. I have felt my neighbor’s pain since they lost their 18 year old son last May and they are still struggling on a daily basis to go forward. I don’t have much ill will for Mr. Duffy as much as I am sad for his family and baffled to explain his actions. Odd that someone mentioned a possible companion in his car that night as I wondered who goes to Sabres’ games alone. Someone came to my website via google with the search phrase “woman in john duffy’s car.” It would make sense from an investigative point of view but as an answer to this awful puzzle it still answers nothing. The world is a lesser place for the loss of this great young lady. I notice Mr. Calabrese has changed the color of the law office from yellow to muted brown. The signs are all replaced too wiping Mr. Duffy’s name and law career away. There’s no real justice here no matter what the courts do to Duffy or do for the Sorberas. Their girl is gone and nobody can fill in that hole. My prayers are with them.
I went to school with John Duffy, I grew up with him for elementary to senior high school.He was spoiled and acted like he would get what he wanted.He was a person who really wouldn’t help anyone unless there was something in for himself.So It wouldn’t surprise me that the reason he didn’t help the girl he hit is that didn’t want to let his wife know he was having an affair.If he’d claim he really didn’t know he hit some one why wouldn’t you pull over to at least look at the damage of your vehicle.I am wondering if the police actuality found John or he just called his friends at the O’she house to tell him what he did.The why I knew John when he was a kid in high school to where he is now, he was never a dumb kid, although he would look at you like you where in another world.(Very spaced).
I can understand how mad people are going to be when he only serves the min. time for what he done and that he will try to help make things better from know on.After he serves his time,I wonder if he knows that that there are at least 4 classmate that are prison guards at that jail.People maybe shouldn’t
know that.especially if it is at Attica state.I hope that any person that has done that sort of terrible crime yes I said crime should get life with no parole it only fair an just thing to do let him sit for a life time to understand his actions and know that there is know one to come and free him from his pass.
What goes around come full circle John Peter Duffy.
My name is John Duffy, from Ireland. Five years ago a man, who had his licence taken from him for a third offense of drink driving , killed an oncoming driver/man who never drank. He served less than two years.
Thousands drink and drive still today. None of them will go to jail for that offence. Have you ever once in you life driven over the limit?
Most drunk drivers leave the scene of an accident, even minor ones as they are not rational at that point.
God calls the good ones home early. When you are finished teaching or finished learning and your role is finished, you return to God. Your memory is the remainder of your work. Many lessons come from this event. What do we learn? What to we change from our learning? What did you change?
There is opportunity for forgiveness, reconciliation, not now maybe but maybe some time. Maybe in silence. There is energy around this event.
In Ireland for mediated murder you will do seven years.
This driver is being punished in the following ways;
1. Loss of freedom
2. Loss of profession
3. Loss of family trust
4. Loss of status
5. Loss of self as his ego had created
He has acquired a new set of labels;
1. Drink Driver
2. Killer
3. Liar
4. Wife Cheat
5. Smart Lawyer
6. Jailbird
7. Felon
The young woman who died has moved on to better things. She now knows how much she is and was loved. She is long past any need to judge the instrument(s) of her departure. Should we?
Judge not less you be judged.. ..
To Judge not less you be Judged,If your head is buried in the bible and you are in a loss of memory ,Thou shall not kill or murder something like that right is not the judgment of what you call God, his real name is Yawheh.God is generic term.Look it up.
In what you said about John peter Duffy of Hamburg N.Y 14075.He knew what he did,the next day when the word got out he lied,hide tried to make a fake scene and hid part of his explorer from the police.
If John were to have taken a nude picture of a girl 16 or 17 he would have served 25 years to life.Murder her and get 2 years,Huh what is wrong with this picture.
Then everyone thinks he will lose his right for being a lawyer yes in N.Y.
He will then move probably to Sarasota Florida he will be allowed to practice there and also change his name, just wait and see.
You will also see John crumble from a man of law to a man trying to escape his own demons.