THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 29, 1995 TAG: 9508290289
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Moises Roman - who invaded a family's home last September and terrorized a brother and sister, raping the girl - was sentenced Monday to two life terms plus 98 years.
Before he was sentenced, Roman, 19, read an emotional letter of apology he had written three weeks ago, but told the judge he did not expect the apology to influence the sentence he received.
``I feel the pain that this family is going through, because I have a heart now,'' he read from the witness stand. ``God knows that if I can go back and change things, I would, or if I had one wish, it would be to take back all the pain I've caused this family. . . I don't expect them to forgive me anytime soon, but I pray that in the future they may forgive me.''
His mother and other family members hugged one another and cried as he read. A few rows in front of them, the mother of the two children also sobbed.
Minutes later, standing by his lawyer's side, Roman turned to the woman and apologized. ``I hope that you can get your lives back together,'' he told her in tears.
Earlier, she had testified about how the crimes of Sept. 13, 1994, had changed the lives of her and her children. She said she is afraid to take a shower or to leave her children alone. Her daughter is afraid of men, sleeps with her television or radio on, keeps her bedroom door locked most of the time, and pulls out a knife whenever she hears a noise. Her son denies he has been affected by the crimes but is more protective of his mother and sister than before.
The family's trauma began when Roman entered their home in Stumpy Lake with a gun while the mother was in the shower. He took her son, then 13, and daughter, then 11, captive. He then told the mother to go to a bank and withdraw money. The mother left and called police.
After the police arrived, they called for the SWAT team, which surrounded the house and set up observation posts in nearby homes and in woods. As many as 50 police cars filled the streets in the new subdivision across Indian River Road from Stumpy Lake.
As the standoff wore on, the children's mother, her former husband and her boyfriend waited a block away from the house.
Roman kept the SWAT team at bay for about nine hours before he released the children and surrendered.
Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Humphreys asked Roman how he would have felt if someone had terrorized his family in such a manner.
``I've lied, I've hurt people,'' Roman said. ``It's finally catching up with me. Basically I'm just sorry for living on this Earth. I've done too many harmful things to people.''
Roman's defense lawyer, Lynndolyn Mitchell, characterized Roman as remorseful and said that he tried to commit suicide while he was still in the house the night of the offenses.
Roman, a victim of sexual abuse as a child, had an extensive juvenile record of property crimes.
Humphreys portrayed Roman as a career criminal who had shown the juvenile justice system to be a failure - at least in dealing with him.
``Sorrow doesn't put back together the (victims') family,'' Humphreys said. ``What this young man did was devastating. It was devastating to this community. We don't expect people to walk in at gunpoint.''
Before imposing sentence on Monday, Circuit Judge Thomas S. Shadrick told Roman that he believed his expressions of remorse were sincere but that Roman had no concept of the pain he had caused.
``That type of conduct cannot be tolerated in a free, civilized society,'' Shadrick said before sentencing Roman on a dozen charges, including rape, abduction and attempted robbery.
``You have forfeited your right to live freely.''
KEYWORDS: KIDNAPPING RAPE JUVENILE ABDUCTION SENTENCING by CNB