I sat in court Friday and listened with a heavy heart and immense
sympathy to Pam Wiener's anguished words of loss ("Abrams goes to
prison," Saturday).
I do not pretend to know the depth of the hurt the Wieners and Sotos
must feel, for they have lost the most precious of all God's gifts.
Pam Wiener's anger and frustration over my brother not publicly
expressing remorse were also entirely appropriate and understandable.
However, I was deeply saddened by some of her remarks.
She essentially wants to hear rational words from a severely mentally
ill person. And when those words weren't forthcoming, she chose to
condemn innocent people in our family who also have been hurt and have
suffered as a result of this tragedy.
Pam Wiener could not be more wrong about how our family feels. Our
public silence is not a sign of indifference but the result of prolonged
shock and a debilitating sense of helplessness.
Over the last 19 months, our family has prayed and offered countless
communions in memory of Brandon and Sierra, and for the hope that God
will comfort their families.
Now, at this critical juncture, may God help all of us who have been
left behind to deal courageously with what lies ahead.
JOSEPH ABRAMS
Costa Mesa
* EDITOR'S NOTE: Steven Allen Abrams, 39, was sentenced Friday to life
in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Brandon Wiener,
3, and Sierra Soto, 4, by deliberately driving his 1967 Cadillac onto the
crowded playground at Southcoast Early Childhood Learning Center in Costa
Mesa on May 3, 1999.
