The family of a murdered man gave emotional testimonies and called for the maximum sentence for the killer.
Robert Earl Little Jr. pleaded guilty voluntary manslaughter in July, for driving a stolen van that killed David Salovesh, 54, on April 19 at the intersection of 12th Street and Florida Avenue, NE.
“Tomorrow is my seventeenth birthday and instead of something to look forward too, it is just a painful reminder of all the years to come without him,” Salovesh’s daughter said.
Salavesh’s daughter said that even though their relationship had been through some turbulence, it was overwhelmingly positive.
She requested that Little, 25, to be sentenced to 25 years.
The daughter’s boyfriend told the judge about how Salovesh had been a father figure to him. He said Salovesh was a very giving man and had helped him immensely.
“I lost a friend and a father…Little deserves the harshest punishment,” he said.
Salavesh’s widow, Jean DeStefano, said the victim was a multifaceted person. He was a biker, a technology professional, a handyman and a friend to many, she said.
DeStefano said her life had been extremely difficult since the loss of her husband both financially and emotionally. She did not believe that Little was apologetic or sorry for his actions.
“You murdered my husband and our family,” she said.
DeStefano said she would like to see Little in jail for the rest of his life. She asked DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe to sentence Little to the maximum time, revoke his driver’s license permanently, order him to get drug treatment while incarcerated, and require him to read the victim impact statements.
The prosecution asked Judge Iscoe to accept the terms of the plea agreement, citing Little’s conscious disregard for the law and safety of others
Little’s defense counsel, James King, told the court that when he had met Little in court he was a very apologetic man. He said Little was not in fact under the influence of PCP at the time but that he had some of the drug left in his blood stream from a previous day.
King told the courtroom that Little had a difficult life and had been using drugs to escape his problems.
Little addressed the victims family and apologized.
He said he understood why the family was mad and he would be mad, too if he were in their shoes. He insisted the he was not a stupid person, however, he had done some stupid actions.
“I didn’t think someone was going to die,” Little said.
Judge Iscoe said he was moved by the more than 40 victims impact letters from Salovesh’s friends and family. The letters contained testimonies to how gregarious,intelligent, and impactful the 54-year-old was, the judge said.
“This is one of the most painful sentencings I have ever experienced,” he said.
Judge Iscoe agreed to the terms of the plea deal and sentenced Little to 8 and a half years in prison for voluntary manslaughter with five years of supervised release. In addition, he ordered that Little participate in drug testing and drug treatment.
According to court documents, Little was going 76mph down Florida Avenue, NE in a stolen van attempting to evade police. He then struck another car at a red light and propelled into Salovesh who was waiting at the light on his bicycle. There were also traces of PCP found in his blood.
