Ryan Rice wants to make sure the punishment fits the crime.
As the stepson of Barbara Latiolais, the Castro Valley woman who was strangled and burned to death in October, that means life in prison without the possibility of parole.
With the help of his girlfriend, Amanda Miller, Rice is circulating an Internet petition asking for support in making sure that the accused -- 16-year-old Christian Birdsall and 18-year-old Cody Nicosia -- never leave jail.
"I'm 200 percent convinced they're guilty," Rice, 24, said in a telephone interview from Texas where he lives with Miller, 22, and their two-year-old son.
Rice grew up in Castro Valley and was raised by Barbara Latiolais as if he were her son. Ryan Rice said he is moving back to Castro Valley soon to be close to his dad, Mike Rice -- who was the longtime partner of Latiolais.
The petition is toughly worded: "These monsters knew exactly what they were doing, and should recieve no mercy."
Castro Valley has been shocked and divided by the killings. Many people knew the accused and/or the victim. There have been heated exchanges in the comments.
Mike Rice, who is the father of Ryan and the former partner of Barbara Latiolais, shared his grief over her killing in a Patch interview.
Mike Rice has set up “The Barbara Latiolais Memorial Fund” to help her daughter, Lalanya Felix, 40, who lives in Tracy, and his son, Ryan, cope with the fallout.
Inteested parties can make donations in person or by mail at any Wells Fargo branch.
Write “Barbara Latiolais Memorial Fund” and account number 1392401558 on the check. Online contributions are also possible but the process will vary from bank to bank. If needed, Wells Fargo’s ABA routing number is 121042882.
The United States is the only country in the world where children are given such sentences. As a society, we seem to think that the response to cruelty should be more cruelty, to death, should be more death. But of course, the crueler we are as a people, the less understanding and compassion we have for others, the less they will have for us - and for the dissolving social contract. Patty, I know you are hurting and I have no answers as to why these kids did what they did. But the brain of a teenager does not work like the brain of an adult, study after study shows that. And the law recognizes that. The law won't allow children under 18 to vote, buy lottery tickets, drink or smoke, get tattoos, join the military, get plastic surgery, get married without parental consent, or even have sex! We don't think they have the judgment to make such decisions for themselves - so how can we possibly believe they have the same judgment as an adult when it comes to killing a person?
And neither Rai nor I are arguing that the kids should be let free. What they did was horrendous, incomprehensible, and these kids are very dangerous. They need to be somewhere where they cannot hurt others. But they are teens. Ten, twenty years from now, forty years from now, they may be very different people. I believe very strongly that for most people, in particular for young kids, change is possible. And indeed, that's what neuroscience suggests. The studies are not based on questionnaires, but basically on observations of teen and adult brains and neural activity in response to different stimuli. But Patti, I don't mean to convince you, you have the right to your grief, to your anger, to your desire for justice/revenge. At some point you will want to understand, and information about the adolescent brain will be useful, but that has to be done at your own pace. I really wish you the best.
In California, there is a new law that says that allows judges to reconsider the sentence of minors convicted to life in prison without parole after 15 years in prison. The judge would then be able to reduce the sentence to 25 years.
Many obviously don't know or feel your families pain and it must be devastating and am sorry your family is going through this. I am only commenting because the article states the family is asking people for donations and the cause is to put a 16 year old to be sentenced to life in prison with no parole. The Supreme Court has recently ruled on this and as much as you may want this sentence it's prob not reality. Both of these boys if found guilty will be sent away for a very long time and perhaps never get out.
I am certain that these young men will have an epiphany while spending time in prison, but that is no reason to let them out before they die of old age. Many people throughout the Bay Area have commented that this crime was one of the most awful murders they have ever heard of, but they have also said something else. There have been many who have noted how outrageous it is that so many people have made such a heartfelt effort to defend the two killers, make excuses for them, and plead for judicial forgiveness. This is not only absurd, it is an insult to the victim's family and friends. I would like to say to all the people who loved and cared for Barbara Latiolais that the majority of the general public is on your side. I am truly sorry that any of you have had to endure these outrageous comments by a small minority of insensitive "do gooders" who would not feel the same way if this had happened to their loved one. These two young men deserve a life term with no parole period. Let them spend the rest of their lives thinking about their crime.