Van Gustave defense attorney comments on guilty plea

On behalf of the family of Van Gustave and as his attorney, I would like to comment on his guilty plea and sentencing in Lowell Superior Court on Jan. 18 before the Hon. Jane Haggerty.

As your newspaper has reported, Mr. Gustave’s case ended on that day with his plea to second-degree murder and other charges involved in the death of Ryan Sullivan and the stabbing of Jules Stevens and William Tighe on July 1, 2004. He will be eligible for parole in the year 2019, when he is 39 years old.

No one can understand and appreciate the depth of the sorrow and loss that the Sullivan family has, is and will continue to experience as a result of the terrible events of that summer evening. The Stevens and Tighe families have also felt the pain of this case, and Mr. Gustave realizes his role in that suffering. At his sentencing, he accepted responsibility before the court and personally addressed the families of the victims in a heartfelt attempt to express his remorse for his part in bringing them such grief. At the end of that hearing, Mr. Gustave then faced his own family and told them of his sorrow for the humiliation and punishment he had brought upon his wife, daughter, mother, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews in the case. As he looked into the eyes of the families in that packed courtroom this past week, he saw what damage he had done and must live with that realization for the rest of his life.

His daughter now has a father who is a convicted murderer, his wife a husband who is lost and serving time and his mother a son who is a sentenced killer. When he returns to this community, we should remember that he went to the same schools, played in the same parks and went to the same pizza parlors as the young men who were injured. When their paths converged on that fateful evening in July 2004, Ryan Sullivan died and Stevens and Tighe were the victims of terrible alcohol, drug and testosterone-fueled rage. Nothing can change that night, and no one knows that better than Mr. Gustave.

Joseph Spinucci, if his sentence is upheld, will die in prison for Mr. Sullivan’s death as a result of his conviction for first-degree murder in July 2006. The defense knew that the legal concept of joint venture is a dangerous spider web that snares the innocent in its net and people should be aware that although Mr. Gustave did not stab Ryan Sullivan, he will still pay for it with a life sentence. In the end, he pled guilty to Mr. Sullivan’s killing because the theory of joint venture may have very well ended with an irredeemable sentence of life without parole, which would have forever separated him from his family. Mr. Gustave knows he is guilty of these crimes and is sorry for his offenses, but hopes to be returned to the loving arms of his family some day with a parole.

This case, as others, should serve as an example that in addition to the monumental loss faced by the Sullivans that there are also many other victims as well, who are the collateral damage of the dangers of drugs, alcohol and stupidity when things go out of control. Nothing can excuse what happened that night, but what remains ahead for Mr. Gustave, his daughter and his loved ones will be a painful journey indeed. Now that this case is over and hopefully some lessons are learned from it, may Ryan Sullivan rest in peace.

Newbury Street