Salvatore «Sam» Anello – grandfather from Indiana, accused of the death of his 18-month-old granddaughter fell from a cruise ship, agreed to a deal on the guilty plea.
«This decision was incredibly difficult for Sam and his family, but since the agreement on the admission of guilt does not provide for imprisonment, it was decided that it best meets the interests of the family,» said his lawyer Michael Winkleman in a statement to CNN.
Salvatore «Sam» Anello, the grandfather charged in the death of his 18-month-old granddaughter who fell from a cruise ship, will change his plea to guilty, according to his attorney. https://t.co/d3e55yjY1q
— CNN (@CNN) February 26, 2020
Authorities in Puerto Rico have accused Anello reckless homicide in October, claiming that he dropped his granddaughter, Chloe Wigand, from the open window on the 11th floor of a cruise ship. The tragedy occurred in July. Details of the death of Chloe was the subject of a dispute since the tragedy.
According to representatives of port, Anello seated the girl in a window on the 11th deck of the ship «Freedom of the seas» («Freedom of the Seas»), she lost balance and fell, crashing.
In a lawsuit filed by the family against the company Royal Caribbean Cruises, said that Anello was holding Chloe, she hit the glass and slipped from the hands of his grandfather. The family claims that there were no warnings that Windows can be opened. According to Anello, he’d never held her granddaughter by the window, if I knew that it is open.
«A plea of guilty does not affect a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, added the lawyer Winkleman. — We continue to affirm that it was a preventable tragedy that would never have happened if Royal Caribbean had followed standard industry codes prevent falling out of Windows.»
The mother of Chloe, Kimberly Wigand, said he supports his stepfather.
«I want to inform you clearly and unambiguously: this is just an agreement and we didn’t Salvatore’s fault. Our family has already lost everything.»
