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Salvatore “Sam” Anello will serve his sentence in Michigan, where he lives, the government has announced.
In a post-sentencing statement, Anello said he agreed to plead guilty so he and the girl’s family could focus on a civil case against the cruise line.
Anello was playing with his granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand, aboard the Freedom of the Seas cruise ship while docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 7, 2019. Anello “negligently held a minor out of a window from the 11th floor, ”the government said. the statement said, and Chloe fell 115 feet to her death.
Anello was charged with negligent homicide months after the incident and initially pleaded not guilty, but he changed his plea as part of a deal with prosecutors, said lawyer Michael Winkleman, who represents Chloe’s family but does not represent Anello in his criminal case.
In a statement on Monday, Anello said: “After this conviction, I feel a mixture of anger and relief. Relief not to be serving prison time and not having to admit facts. Relief for my family so that we can close this chapter and move forward together. “
He said he always thought the row of windows he stood with Chloe in was a “glass wall,” with no indication that any of the windows could open.
Anello said he “did not commit any crime” but decided not to dispute the charges so as not to have to admit the facts or face a significant penalty.
“It was a choice to focus our resources and decide the best way to tell Chloe’s story and put our family’s energy into the civil matter.
He added: “I miss you so much Chloe.”
According to a statement by Winkleman on Monday, the discovery phase in the family’s civil case against Royal Caribbean is over and “there is not a single evidence to support the argument that Salvatore Anello knew the window was open . “
A hearing date is set for April, he said.
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