This is for anyone who believes Robert LaPointe should suffer more for his role in the boating accident which resulted in the tragic deaths of two people.

I can empathize with LaPointe, because my own poor judgment caused the accidental drowning of my precious little sister at Norway Lake when she was two years old. I was nine years old at the time, so criminal charges were not the issue.

From my experience, when negligence causes the death of another person, the guilt it causes runs so deep that is never leaves, and the memories of an extremely traumatic event are permanently recorded in long-term memory. They do not fade over time. My memories of July 9, 1970, are as vivid now as they were that day.

No matter how long LaPointe serves time in jail, he will have to cope with the overwhelming guilt of that accident for the rest of his life. The memories of that tragic evening will never fade away. He will experience mental and emotional challenges that most other people are never faced with.

I urge people to forgive him for his negligence. We must forgive in order to heal and move on.

By being bitter and resentful, we only hurt ourselves.

My prayers go out to all of the families still suffering from that tragic event.

Mike Aldrich, Lewiston