Grandmother of victim delivers statement
LISBON — As they did throughout most of the trial of Danielle Heckathorn, Quinn Wilson’s grandparents sat in the front row of the courtroom in county Common Pleas Court on Thursday for the sentencing.
Following an introduction by Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Gamble, the grandmother, Belinda Wilson, made a statement before Judge C. Ashley Pike about her observations from the trial.
Wilson said they drove 30 miles every day to hear the testimony, which was difficult to hear. She said she and her husband were upset about the things the jurors saw and heard, which she said would impact those jurors for the rest of their lives.
“Just as we joyfully remember Quinn, they will not joyfully remember all that they heard of Quinn and all that happened to Quinn.”
She noted her grandson was not raised to have his life ended in such a way and it was hard for the family to hear about some of the things he was involved in and the drug lifestyle from the last days of his life. She added these things and decisions being made by young people are affecting their families, including Quinn Wilson’s own children, who have lost their father.
Wilson admitted she had some apprehension about the trial from the beginning. She talked about a Confederate flag they saw someone has hanging as they drove into Lisbon and a jury of Heckathorn’s peers, but without any African-Americans included on it. However, she said she saw jurors who appeared to be searching for the truth and agonizing over what was the truth in this case.
“Two things did not happen in this courtroom as far as we are concerned,” Wilson said. “One was rejoicing and the others was remorse.”
Wilson said she did not see any remorse from those she felt she should have seen it from and her family did not rejoice over someone being found guilty. She added her husband, Clyde Wilson, who was standing next to her, shed tears about the case.
“Our young people today are dying,” Wilson said. “America is killing its young people because they won’t do anything about situations like drugs. They won’t do anything about situations like partiality in courtrooms.”
However, she said she and her husband felt this case was handled in an impartial manner and feels this was a model case for how the judicial system should be run.
Wilson continued that she and her husband were praying for Judge Pike, who had the difficult decision of handing down the sentence to Heckathorn in the case.
“The judge of the whole world, he will do what’s right,” Wilson said referring to the ultimate judgment day before God. “So your honor, in all respect to you, the Wilson family asks that you the Honorable Judge Pike do the same thing we will be asking of the supreme judge, do what’s right.”