George Gibbons Sr. was the only member of the immediate Gibbons family to not speak at the sentencing of his son’s killer. Outside, he was overcome with emotion. Forum Newsgroup Photo by Jeremiah Dobruck.
Siblings of George Gibbons read tearful statements in court Monday, asking that the man who killed their brother remain in jail as long as possible.
Peter Rodriguez, a 37-year-old Brooklyn man, had admitted to driving the car that killed George in a wrong-way collision in Maspeth. On May 7, he was sentenced to three-and-a-half to seven years in prison for negligent homicide and leaving the scene of a crime.
George’s five siblings poured out their emotions for the record and any future parole board, asking that Rodriguez serve the full seven years.
Eamon Gibbons, the youngest brother in the family, walked up to the bench with a small green composition book in his hand.
“I bought this book in March of 2011 to write my best-man speech for George,” Eamon said. “In October, I had to write George’s eulogy in the same book.”
With tears in his eyes, Eamon told the packed courtroom about the life Rodriguez
Dozens of supporters, including Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth), joined the Gibbons in the courtroom and on the Queens Courthouse steps after the sentencing on Monday. Forum Newsgroup photo by Jeremiah Dobruck.
admitted to taking.
The room had been cleared before the Gibbons family and dozens of supporters entered, filling the room once again.
All five siblings—Siobhan, Brendan, Eamon, Maureen and Bernadette—considered George the heart of their family and of the Maspeth community.
“People instantly fell in love with George from the first moment they met him,” Maureen said.
Be it at a concert or a party George was DJing or bartending, the family said he had a charm and charisma that was irresistible.
“That’s what you took away,” Eamon said, his voice cracking, “our laughs and our good times.”
George was killed on Oct. 15 after he closed his bar, Gibbons’ Home, in Maspeth.
He was on his way home in the back of a livery cab when a Chrysler Sebring going the wrong direction struck the cab, killing George, and injuring the cab driver and a passenger in the Sebring.
The driver of the Sebring, who police later identified as Rodriguez, fled the scene.
The community rallied to offer $10,000 for his capture, and he was apprehended in Connecticut on Nov. 15 thanks to an anonymous tip.
Rodriguez was originally charged with manslaughter, and prosecutors believed he had been drinking. But they settled for this plea deal because they weren’t confident about proving the charges.
Rodriguez was contrite before the Queens Supreme Court judge read the sentence that made him eligible for parole after three-and-a-half years.
“I just want to tell the family I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope one day they realize it truly was an accident.”
It was the first time he had addressed the family or the crime.
He denied that he had been drinking, said he fled the scene because of his criminal history and insisted he didn’t realize George had been killed when he ran.
“I have to live with that the rest of my life,” Rodriguez said.
The Gibbons family responded by saying he was still making excuses, which did little to ease their pain.
“I cannot verbally express what you have done to our family,” Bernadette said in her statement. She hasn’t been able to look her father in the eye since the crash, she said, because of the pain she sees in his eyes and heart.
Like her siblings, she asked parole-board members to heed their words, deny Rodriguez any leniency and give her family some sense of justice.
She then turned to the man who admitted to killing her brother and told him to take responsibility for what he had done.
“Peter, as our mother who passed away eight-and-a-half years ago would have said to you, it’s high time that you act your age and not your shoe size,” Bernadette said.
“George may have departed from this earth, but this family—and when I say family, I mean community—will be here … and will not subside until justice prevails. You can run off now and take that with you. We know you’re good at running.”
By Jeremiah Dobruck
