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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Murdered Irish bar owner and a rape victim share different fates -- Judges decide 75 years for rape and only 3.5 years for murder

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Murdered Irish bar owner and a rape victim share different fates -- Judges decide 75 years for rape and only 3.5 years for murder

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 08:20 AM

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George Gibbons' father and siblings stand in front of the Court after Monday's sentencing. (Credit: Queens Ledger)

A Queens New York judge this week sentenced Peter Rodriguez to 3 and half to 7 years in jail for snuffing out the life of George Gibbons, a beloved Irish bar owner in Queens.

On Monday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers gave a 75-year to life sentence to former NYPS cop Michael Pena for grabbing a 24-year-old teacher off the street. The jury was unable to decide whether Pena was guilty of rape.

The victim was a new schoolteacher on her way to her first day at work.

Pena will be 103 before being eligible for parole. Rodriguez 36,will be under 40.

The disparity in sentencing makes for an incredible contrast

Horrific as the rape crime was, family can still hold and touch the schoolteacher and comfort her. Hopefully with time she can move on and make a good life for herself.

I’m not saying the sentence was not justified

But George Gibbons lies in a lonely grave and his killer got off with a wrist slap.

Where is the justice?

Peter Rodriguez had a previous record when he drove the wrong way, likely drunk, on the Long Island expressway. After killing George he fled the scene and was not arrested for days.

I know the Gibbons family well and there is no Irish family as well respected.

Their loss was tragic and a community mourned with them. On Monday, 100 people showed up in court to question why Rodriguez got such a light sentence.

Eddie Gibbons, George’s uncle, now deceased, was a leading figure in the community for years.

His store and pub, the Poteen Still, was a home from home for many, making the Irish papers available in his store and playing a leading role in helping out young Irish undocumented.

Eddie's brother, George senior, is cut from the same cloth, a man renowned for his good deeds and his work tin helping Irish immigrants, and his kids have carried on the great family tradition.

Now they are shattered and to add insult to injury Rodriguez has got a slap on the wrist.

Where does the justice come in? How much was George Gibbons’s life worth?

Not that much according to a Queens DA and a judge who agreed a plea deal.

Sometimes the system sucks.

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16 comments

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IrishDragoon | May 22, 2012, 12:40 PM EDT

I think the disparity of sentences has to do with the gender of the victims. Even in this "enlightened" age, its still a "worse" crime to hit, rape, or kill a gurrrl.

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100thApefrom58 | May 17, 2012, 01:10 PM EDT

So are they trying to give the sicko's a reason to kill their rape victim 1 st to only risk 3 as opposed to 75 years ? A horrendous technicality that I pray never occurs or is possible ..is it ? naw...

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merefalow | May 13, 2012, 08:08 PM EDT

rape is an abominable violation,one of the worst leaving mental and physical scars that can endure a lifetime,not to be trivalised by male judges as it seems they do in some cases,using a motor vehicle in a careless dangerous manner, whether you are under the influence of drink or drugs or both,is irivalant, you are in possession of a lethal weapon,no less than if you had a gun or a knife,and when you kill with that weapon,especially when under the influence you have to pay,and pay hard,3.5 years is a disgustingly lenient sentence for the amount of hurt he has caused.the judicial lawyer plea bargaining pig trough sucks.

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jamthecat | May 10, 2012, 08:30 PM EDT

Once again, apples and oranges are compared to make a comment about justice, and salient facts are left out in order to make it seem the writer is being even-handed and understanding in his opinion. In O'Dowd's mind, a hideous automobile accident is just as important as a woman's kidnapping and rape. Guess we know what he really thinks about women, now. And ignorant twits will applaud him. Disgraceful.

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KathleenBerrio | May 10, 2012, 08:18 PM EDT

Mr. O'Dowd your comment that the schoolteacher who was raped can "hopefully" move on with her life is atrocious and obscene. Shame on you.

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Bythebay | May 10, 2012, 06:56 PM EDT

The Gibbons case involved a plea deal, meaning it was a very weak case to prosecute. The DA said the sentence was appropriate based on provable facts in the case. It was not murder, it was an automobile accident. There was also no information about whether Gibbons was wearing a seat belt as mandated by New York State law. It's not comparable to a rape case. How well a family is regarded in their own homogenous community makes no difflerence to the facts of the case. Gibbons uncle illegally assisting illegal aliens in the US has no bearing on this case either. It's not meritorious.

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Curitiba | May 10, 2012, 05:22 PM EDT

Yes, but, despite being criminally negligent and maybe drunk in charge of a vehicle, he did not delibrately drive the vehicle at him, that is why it is not murder. The intent to kill was not there. It was an accident, made more likely to happen due to the driver's extreme negligence. The debate is really about whether the sentence is appropriate for somebody who causes death by dangerous driving.

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JOLIEJO | May 10, 2012, 02:33 PM EDT

Murder and manslaughter are not the same thing, nor are rape and manslaughter. It’s apple and oranges. To belittle the act of rape with an attitude of “oh well she will get over it and get on with her life” is not only callous, it is ignorant. The person this woman was before the rape may never surface again. There is also a high rate of suicides among rape victims

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Murph46 | May 10, 2012, 01:45 PM EDT

Point well stated Kilgara!

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metajag | May 10, 2012, 01:28 PM EDT

While I completely understand the outrage regarding the sentencing for the murder, I would question the approach of comparing it to the rape sentencing, particularly in the titling of the article. When I was living in Ireland I heard of numerous occasions when rapists were let off with minimal sentencing ("He's of good character in general") and I think that's outrageous. Rapists are nearly always recidivists. In this case the system here did not suck, and despite the disclaimer the subtext here is that rape really isn't all that awful. The comparison seems like a way to galvanize the outrage, but I have to say it's a misguided and unnecessary tactic, and I'm surprised Irish Central went for it.

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kilgara | May 10, 2012, 12:55 PM EDT

Life is cheap these days. Roe vs. Wade not only legalized killing innocent babies it affected a lot of peoples thinking about the value of human life. A possible result is this judges ruling that this murderer should again walk the streets to most likely kill again.

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Searlit | May 10, 2012, 12:51 PM EDT

I believe they must have ruled it vehicular manslaughter then what about leaving the scene. Hit & run would be a high crime, also. It is devastating for the Gibbons Family. Prayers for them that they may bring some good out of this tragedy by bringing about a change in legislation. I'm not that familiar with the rape crime mentioned. Violence against women is a massive problem. It is so pervasive. The Criminal Justice System is in crisis. The prisons are being privatized. The focus is now on profit, not protecting the citizenry. It's been heading this way for awhile now. Talk about the demise of society.

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blackbearpause | May 10, 2012, 12:34 PM EDT

Was the bar owner murdered or a victim of an accident? Rodriguez should have not been allowed to plea bargin, and should have to spend more time in prison. However the rape was not accidental, and that sentence does seem appropriate.

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PhlutiePhan | May 10, 2012, 11:50 AM EDT

The key issue here was a plea deal. It never went to trial.

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jamieLM | May 10, 2012, 10:49 AM EDT

I deplore this light sentence for Rodriguez and think he most definitely should have been made to serve more time. The system does suck. But whether he sat the rest of his life in prison or was hanged and quartered, Mr. Gibbons's earthly life is over. Gibbons's family and friends will forever be affected by his untimely death. Short of bringing Gibbons back to life, there is no real justice here on earth, no matter how much we punish someone. I wish there was. Careless and wrongful actions that harm others permanently, alters the landscape and how do we get real justice for that?

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