By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/31/09
A man threatened to bring a gun to a local Department of Children and Families office Thursday morning because he was upset about his food stamps application, according to DCF officials.
The client was in the Fort Myers DCF building when he made the threat, according to agency spokesperson Erin Gillespie.
"He said it directly to a staff member, over the phone," she said.
The man hung up the phone and left shortly after. Per policy, the agency contacted the Fort Myers Police Department, who is investigating the case.
"We contact law enforcement if we feel we have a threat to our staff," she said.
Though DCF has encountered belligerent clients in the past, Gillespie said she is unaware of previous threats of this nature.
Hundreds of people apply for food stamps at the local DCF office daily.
However, the Fort Myers office's staff performance exceeds the expectations of federal and state standards, Gillespie said.
Federal standards require responses to food stamp applications within 30 days, while in Lee County the average is 13 days.
"Our workers are busy but we understand how important it is for people to get help, so there's no problem with our process here," she said.
Gillespie said the threat and subsequent investigation by law enforcement will not have a bearing on whether the man is issued food stamps.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Yacht Club celebrates Cape Parks & Recreation Month; Annual event showcases all the fun the city has to offer
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/27/09
The Yacht Club beach bustles daily with swimmers, anglers, athletes, young and old alike, perhaps striding down the pier or sitting in the summer sun.
The riverfront area is representative. Parks and outdoor recreation are a year-round staple of Southwest Florida, something residents feel compelled to enjoy.
That's why the city of Cape Coral celebrates "July is Parks & Recreation Month" each summer.
Saturday, the Yacht Club took part in the month-long celebration by holding an event with both outdoor and indoor activities. The event featured a bicycle safety course, arts and crafts, lifeguard rescue demonstrations and and an ice cream and cake social in the Tony Rotino Senior Center.
"There are so many great activities and programs put on by parks and rec," said recreation specialist Coby Palner. "With the time of year when people come down from up north, and just being residents, they look forward to it. It's a weekend to go out and be with their kids. Families come together and have a better time because they're able to do activities together."
About 40 to 50 people participated in the arts and crafts event, as well as the ice cream and cake social, while about a half-dozen took part in the bike demo.
"The kids are riding up and down the streets at home, and now they appreciate how to properly put on a helmet, how to actually ride and look left and right for safety," Palner said of the bike course.
"With the arts and crafts activities, it's a lot better to spend time and actually do a craft with your child because it's more rewarding," he said. "With the three different areas and the Yacht Club in general, having so many people come each day, it's just a great event and atmosphere."
Walter Rosado, a seven-year Cape resident, visited the Yacht Club for the first time since his move to the area Saturday. He watched 18-month-old Nicholas totter across the playground while the toddler's brother and sister, both 18, swam nearby at the beach.
"In the past couple years they've made a lot of great improvements," Rosado said. "I'm impressed. I came down here to check out the launch ramp, and I realized they expanded farther down. I wouldn't mind coming here. It's a lot closer than having to go to Fort Myers Beach."
Rosado admitted, not having been to many of the parks around Cape Coral, he'd need to do some exploring. Nicholas, he said, enjoyed the outing.
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/27/09
The Yacht Club beach bustles daily with swimmers, anglers, athletes, young and old alike, perhaps striding down the pier or sitting in the summer sun.
The riverfront area is representative. Parks and outdoor recreation are a year-round staple of Southwest Florida, something residents feel compelled to enjoy.
That's why the city of Cape Coral celebrates "July is Parks & Recreation Month" each summer.
Saturday, the Yacht Club took part in the month-long celebration by holding an event with both outdoor and indoor activities. The event featured a bicycle safety course, arts and crafts, lifeguard rescue demonstrations and and an ice cream and cake social in the Tony Rotino Senior Center.
"There are so many great activities and programs put on by parks and rec," said recreation specialist Coby Palner. "With the time of year when people come down from up north, and just being residents, they look forward to it. It's a weekend to go out and be with their kids. Families come together and have a better time because they're able to do activities together."
About 40 to 50 people participated in the arts and crafts event, as well as the ice cream and cake social, while about a half-dozen took part in the bike demo.
"The kids are riding up and down the streets at home, and now they appreciate how to properly put on a helmet, how to actually ride and look left and right for safety," Palner said of the bike course.
"With the arts and crafts activities, it's a lot better to spend time and actually do a craft with your child because it's more rewarding," he said. "With the three different areas and the Yacht Club in general, having so many people come each day, it's just a great event and atmosphere."
Walter Rosado, a seven-year Cape resident, visited the Yacht Club for the first time since his move to the area Saturday. He watched 18-month-old Nicholas totter across the playground while the toddler's brother and sister, both 18, swam nearby at the beach.
"In the past couple years they've made a lot of great improvements," Rosado said. "I'm impressed. I came down here to check out the launch ramp, and I realized they expanded farther down. I wouldn't mind coming here. It's a lot closer than having to go to Fort Myers Beach."
Rosado admitted, not having been to many of the parks around Cape Coral, he'd need to do some exploring. Nicholas, he said, enjoyed the outing.
Native plant sale good for the environment, good for planters
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/27/09
Native plant sellers towed their trees, shrubs and flowering plants to Rotary Park Saturday morning, hoping to share their horticultural passions with Cape Coral residents during one of the city's periodic native plant sales.
At least 100 or so varieties of native plants, grown and sold by about a half dozen vendors, lined an open expanse of the park typically used for the sales.
"There were fewer (buyers) this time, but there were good deals to buy," said volunteer naturalist 'Botany' Bob Dennis. "The suppliers here have very healthy materials, and that's good."
Dennis said native plants are enticing to Florida residents because they attract butterflies and birds, don't require frequent watering and don't suffer from some of the diseases and problems of non-native plants.
"It's really a good deal for the natural environment and it's a good deal for the Florida homeowner because they can go away and leave these plants and when they come back they're still healthy and good," Dennis said.
Nectar and milkweed plants are popular because, "It takes a combination of both those to attract butterflies," he said. "There's a lot of interest in that."
Also notable were varieties of Bonsai plants and hedge plants.
"In Cape Coral, a good hedge plant makes for a really good neighbor," Dennis said.
Dennis said native plants are typically sold at the Rotary Park in April and July because the rainy season is the best time to plant them.
Though Cape residents John Murray and Rimma Vizhgorodsky didn't purchase any plants--they'll be out of town temporarily and wouldn't be able to care for them--they did gain perspective on what types of plants they'd like to buy in the future.
"You want all the stuff you see up north and in other countries and all, but not all of it grows here," Murray said. "You have to find out what are the Florida native plants, the drought tolerant ones and the ones that can live in the rain."
Murray and Vizhgorodsky have lived in Southwest Florida for about five years, and have visited the native plant sale once before.
"We're interested in natural plants and flora to see what's better planted in Florida," Vizhgorodsky said. "I love all kinds of plants, Orchids especially. I think it's very calming, potting and planting and discovering different things and trying to criss-cross different breeds."
The two said they'd likely return when the Cape holds its next native plant sale.
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/27/09
Native plant sellers towed their trees, shrubs and flowering plants to Rotary Park Saturday morning, hoping to share their horticultural passions with Cape Coral residents during one of the city's periodic native plant sales.
At least 100 or so varieties of native plants, grown and sold by about a half dozen vendors, lined an open expanse of the park typically used for the sales.
"There were fewer (buyers) this time, but there were good deals to buy," said volunteer naturalist 'Botany' Bob Dennis. "The suppliers here have very healthy materials, and that's good."
Dennis said native plants are enticing to Florida residents because they attract butterflies and birds, don't require frequent watering and don't suffer from some of the diseases and problems of non-native plants.
"It's really a good deal for the natural environment and it's a good deal for the Florida homeowner because they can go away and leave these plants and when they come back they're still healthy and good," Dennis said.
Nectar and milkweed plants are popular because, "It takes a combination of both those to attract butterflies," he said. "There's a lot of interest in that."
Also notable were varieties of Bonsai plants and hedge plants.
"In Cape Coral, a good hedge plant makes for a really good neighbor," Dennis said.
Dennis said native plants are typically sold at the Rotary Park in April and July because the rainy season is the best time to plant them.
Though Cape residents John Murray and Rimma Vizhgorodsky didn't purchase any plants--they'll be out of town temporarily and wouldn't be able to care for them--they did gain perspective on what types of plants they'd like to buy in the future.
"You want all the stuff you see up north and in other countries and all, but not all of it grows here," Murray said. "You have to find out what are the Florida native plants, the drought tolerant ones and the ones that can live in the rain."
Murray and Vizhgorodsky have lived in Southwest Florida for about five years, and have visited the native plant sale once before.
"We're interested in natural plants and flora to see what's better planted in Florida," Vizhgorodsky said. "I love all kinds of plants, Orchids especially. I think it's very calming, potting and planting and discovering different things and trying to criss-cross different breeds."
The two said they'd likely return when the Cape holds its next native plant sale.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cape citizen guilty in federal IRS case; Faces 5 years in prison max and $250,000 fine
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/23/09
A local muscle car dealer pleaded guilty to federal crimes against the Internal Revenue Service in a Fort Myers U.S. District courtroom Wednesday.
James H. Rose Jr., a Cape Coral resident and owner of Rose Motorsports Inc. in Fort Myers, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Douglas N. Frazier to one count of causing a nonfinancial trade or business to fail to file a report relating to the receipt of currency.
Documentation of a plea agreement between Rose and the United States government indicates that he agreed not to file the appropriate paperwork on a cash transaction by an undercover IRS agent Oct. 3, 2007.
The agent agreed to purchase a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass for $14,450, but said he wanted to pay cash and did not want paperwork filed with the IRS.
According to documents, the agent told Rose during the transaction process, "I ran into some problems a couple of years ago with the IRS. I don't want any more problems with them."
Documents state that Rose accepted the terms of the purchase, telling the agent to "put any amount" on a bill of sale when he registered the vehicle.
"Technically, here's the law, if you buy a car for over $10,000, you're supposed to report the money that you received," Rose reportedly told the agent. "I don't, but you're technically supposed to."
"This is just between me and you, and not the IRS?" the agent asked.
"Yep," Rose reportedly responded.
Rose failed to file a Form 8300, which, according to the IRS Web site, is required when businesses receive a cash payment $10,000 or more for a single transaction or two or more related transactions.
The United States District Attorney's Office stated that Rose's business has never filed a Form 8300 with the IRS.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison without parole, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
Rose must also forfeit $14,450, the amount of the unreported cash purchase for which Rose is charged.
A sentencing date was not set Wednesday, but he will be sentenced within a 90-day period.
Rose was released of his own recognizance Wednesday following the hearing.
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/23/09
A local muscle car dealer pleaded guilty to federal crimes against the Internal Revenue Service in a Fort Myers U.S. District courtroom Wednesday.
James H. Rose Jr., a Cape Coral resident and owner of Rose Motorsports Inc. in Fort Myers, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Douglas N. Frazier to one count of causing a nonfinancial trade or business to fail to file a report relating to the receipt of currency.
Documentation of a plea agreement between Rose and the United States government indicates that he agreed not to file the appropriate paperwork on a cash transaction by an undercover IRS agent Oct. 3, 2007.
The agent agreed to purchase a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass for $14,450, but said he wanted to pay cash and did not want paperwork filed with the IRS.
According to documents, the agent told Rose during the transaction process, "I ran into some problems a couple of years ago with the IRS. I don't want any more problems with them."
Documents state that Rose accepted the terms of the purchase, telling the agent to "put any amount" on a bill of sale when he registered the vehicle.
"Technically, here's the law, if you buy a car for over $10,000, you're supposed to report the money that you received," Rose reportedly told the agent. "I don't, but you're technically supposed to."
"This is just between me and you, and not the IRS?" the agent asked.
"Yep," Rose reportedly responded.
Rose failed to file a Form 8300, which, according to the IRS Web site, is required when businesses receive a cash payment $10,000 or more for a single transaction or two or more related transactions.
The United States District Attorney's Office stated that Rose's business has never filed a Form 8300 with the IRS.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison without parole, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
Rose must also forfeit $14,450, the amount of the unreported cash purchase for which Rose is charged.
A sentencing date was not set Wednesday, but he will be sentenced within a 90-day period.
Rose was released of his own recognizance Wednesday following the hearing.
Fire officials cite misuse as cause in bug bomb blow-up; Victim, family disagree
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/23/09
State fire investigators said they believe that the explosion of a fumigation device in a Cape Coral home Tuesday may have been caused by misuse of the device, and that the blast may have been sparked by a nearby dishwasher.
The homeowners worry a faulty bug bomb could have been the cause instead.
Laurie Grabowski was fumigating her home on Bolado Parkway for bugs at 10:43 a.m. when the device exploded.
The blast caused first-degree burns to Grabowski's legs, blew out a window of the home and caused other damages, her family said.
Grabowski is recovering from massive blistering and the possibility of infection, among other issues caused by her injuries.
State Fire Marshal Lt. Joe Minervini said Wednesday afternoon that the propellant from the device is flammable, and likely ignited due to sparks from an electric motor in a nearby dishwasher.
Placing the device under the sink, he said, went against the directions listed on the product's box.
"We think the person set the bug bomb under the sink against the directions of that," Minervini said.
Grabowski's husband, Joe, said the dishwasher theory does not add up to him and his family because it was not running when the explosion occurred.
"It's easy to blame it on the dishwasher, but you might be sweeping the real problem under the rug," he said.
The device itself did not explode, Joe Grabowski said. It was only the expelled chemicals which ignited.
He said the family spoke with a representative of the Cape Coral Fire Department for several hours Wednesday to try to clear up the facts about the incident.
Fire department representatives could not be reached Wednesday night for comment.
The Grabowskis have spoken with a lawyer and with their insurance adjuster regarding the incident. They await the results of an independent lab test on the can.
"We have no idea what made that thing explode," Joe Grabowski said. "I guess everyone's a bit baffled."
Instructions on the product's box suggest not to place the device in a cabinet or under a counter or table. The instructions suggest the device is to be used on a chair, table or stand in the center of an open room.
The Grabowskis said they did not read all of the instructions before using the product, but used it in the manner they had for years without incident.
It had been placed on a low ledge beneath the kitchen sink, away from the dishwasher with the cabinet doors open, Joe Grabowski said.
"It's one of those things that's like one in a million," he said.
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/23/09
State fire investigators said they believe that the explosion of a fumigation device in a Cape Coral home Tuesday may have been caused by misuse of the device, and that the blast may have been sparked by a nearby dishwasher.
The homeowners worry a faulty bug bomb could have been the cause instead.
Laurie Grabowski was fumigating her home on Bolado Parkway for bugs at 10:43 a.m. when the device exploded.
The blast caused first-degree burns to Grabowski's legs, blew out a window of the home and caused other damages, her family said.
Grabowski is recovering from massive blistering and the possibility of infection, among other issues caused by her injuries.
State Fire Marshal Lt. Joe Minervini said Wednesday afternoon that the propellant from the device is flammable, and likely ignited due to sparks from an electric motor in a nearby dishwasher.
Placing the device under the sink, he said, went against the directions listed on the product's box.
"We think the person set the bug bomb under the sink against the directions of that," Minervini said.
Grabowski's husband, Joe, said the dishwasher theory does not add up to him and his family because it was not running when the explosion occurred.
"It's easy to blame it on the dishwasher, but you might be sweeping the real problem under the rug," he said.
The device itself did not explode, Joe Grabowski said. It was only the expelled chemicals which ignited.
He said the family spoke with a representative of the Cape Coral Fire Department for several hours Wednesday to try to clear up the facts about the incident.
Fire department representatives could not be reached Wednesday night for comment.
The Grabowskis have spoken with a lawyer and with their insurance adjuster regarding the incident. They await the results of an independent lab test on the can.
"We have no idea what made that thing explode," Joe Grabowski said. "I guess everyone's a bit baffled."
Instructions on the product's box suggest not to place the device in a cabinet or under a counter or table. The instructions suggest the device is to be used on a chair, table or stand in the center of an open room.
The Grabowskis said they did not read all of the instructions before using the product, but used it in the manner they had for years without incident.
It had been placed on a low ledge beneath the kitchen sink, away from the dishwasher with the cabinet doors open, Joe Grabowski said.
"It's one of those things that's like one in a million," he said.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Woman injured by bug bomb when it explodes in kitchen; Officials investigating
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/22/09
Laurie Grabowski received first-degree burns on her legs Tuesday after a bug bomb exploded in her Cape Coral home. Officials continue to investigate the blast’s cause.
*photo copyright the Cape Coral Daily Breeze.
----
A bug bomb about the size of a fist transformed into what seemed like a real bomb Tuesday morning, injuring a Cape Coral woman and damaging her home in a blast.
Laurie Grabowski received first-degree burns on her legs, now wrapped in hospital gauze, but will recover from her injuries.
As the State Fire Marshal and Cape Coral Fire Department continue to investigate the incident, the Grabowski family wonders how this happened.
Laurie's husband, Joe Grabowski, said the family has used the fumigation devices for about eight years without incident.
"I never, ever thought they could do that kind of damage," he said. "When they called me on the phone I didn't believe them. I thought they were just overreacting. When you look at the size of the damage, and I figure she was standing right there when it went off, I think she's real fortunate that it wasn't more serious than what she's got."
The family had recently returned from vacation and was fumigating for insects at their Balado Parkway home.
Grabowski had placed the bug bomb on a shelf under the kitchen sink for about 10 seconds when an explosion hit her, shattering a window, cracking two others, knocking a sliding glass door off its track and unhinging a dishwasher.
The blast happened at about 10:43 a.m.
"I was leaned over to close the dishwasher ... and it exploded," she said. "It pushed me back into the oven and the side of the cabinets. There were sparks underneath the sink. It felt like I was on fire."
Her 17-year-old son, Nick, sprang from the nearby living room couch and dragged Grabowski to the shower with the help of his sister, Jamie. He then called 911.
Garrett, 21, also Grabowski's son, drove his mother to the hospital where she was treated and released.
"It's a miracle," she said. "I should have been burned, with a lot more damage, for what it did all around."
As the family counts its blessings Tuesday evening, it also remains befogged as to the cause of the blast.
The dishwasher, which investigators said Tuesday may have been the source of the explosion, was not running, said Joe Grabowski.
Officials continue to investigate.
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 7/22/09
Laurie Grabowski received first-degree burns on her legs Tuesday after a bug bomb exploded in her Cape Coral home. Officials continue to investigate the blast’s cause.
*photo copyright the Cape Coral Daily Breeze.
----
A bug bomb about the size of a fist transformed into what seemed like a real bomb Tuesday morning, injuring a Cape Coral woman and damaging her home in a blast.
Laurie Grabowski received first-degree burns on her legs, now wrapped in hospital gauze, but will recover from her injuries.
As the State Fire Marshal and Cape Coral Fire Department continue to investigate the incident, the Grabowski family wonders how this happened.
Laurie's husband, Joe Grabowski, said the family has used the fumigation devices for about eight years without incident.
"I never, ever thought they could do that kind of damage," he said. "When they called me on the phone I didn't believe them. I thought they were just overreacting. When you look at the size of the damage, and I figure she was standing right there when it went off, I think she's real fortunate that it wasn't more serious than what she's got."
The family had recently returned from vacation and was fumigating for insects at their Balado Parkway home.
Grabowski had placed the bug bomb on a shelf under the kitchen sink for about 10 seconds when an explosion hit her, shattering a window, cracking two others, knocking a sliding glass door off its track and unhinging a dishwasher.
The blast happened at about 10:43 a.m.
"I was leaned over to close the dishwasher ... and it exploded," she said. "It pushed me back into the oven and the side of the cabinets. There were sparks underneath the sink. It felt like I was on fire."
Her 17-year-old son, Nick, sprang from the nearby living room couch and dragged Grabowski to the shower with the help of his sister, Jamie. He then called 911.
Garrett, 21, also Grabowski's son, drove his mother to the hospital where she was treated and released.
"It's a miracle," she said. "I should have been burned, with a lot more damage, for what it did all around."
As the family counts its blessings Tuesday evening, it also remains befogged as to the cause of the blast.
The dishwasher, which investigators said Tuesday may have been the source of the explosion, was not running, said Joe Grabowski.
Officials continue to investigate.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Defendant’s mom: Unfair on conviction
By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 9/21/09
Roderick Washington is a 19-year-old who once played football and basketball, ran on the school track team and held a steady job at a Cape Coral McDonald's. He enjoyed dancing.
Family members hoped Washington would one day inherit the family business, a mobile barbecue restaurant.
But a night at Kemar Johnston's birthday party in 2006 changed the then 16-year-old's life forever - a night that ended in the brutal murders of Alexis Sosa, 18, and Jeffrey Sosa, 14.
Washington was found guilty as a principal in the slayings, first of two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in May, then of two counts each of first-degree murder and kidnapping in a retrial last week.
Washington and nine others are accused in the killings, several of whom are allegedly members of a rap group called the "Cash Feenz."
According to his mother, Lashun Washington, her son was not a part of the Cash Feenz.
"What hurt me the most is how they were trying to label him as a Cash Feenz," she said Monday, following her son's sentencing.
Lashun has been Washington's mother since his biological mother died when he was 2 years old. She is married to his father, Rickey Washington.
A 12-person jury decided Washington held Jeffrey and Alexis Sosa at gunpoint in Johnston's home as they were tied, beaten, carved and covered in bleach, and helped load them into the trunk of a car used to transport them to a north Cape Coral industrial site where they were shot to death.
He was sentenced Monday to serve four consecutive life sentences, which will be added to the 30 years he is already serving from his conviction in May.
Lashun said her son's life was taken for a crime he did not commit, and murders he had no idea would take place as a result of his actions.
She feels that because Washington chose to go to trial, he was punished.
"You shouldn't take away his life when you know he wasn't the one who killed them," she said.
Lashun said that after the first trial, state attorneys offered Washington 10 years in addition to his 30-year sentence in exchange for his testimony against co-defendants, but Washington refused.
State Attorney's Office spokesperson Samantha Syoen said no information was available Monday evening regarding a proposed agreement between the state and Washington.
Lashun said her son wanted to fight for his innocence.
"He said, 'I'm not the bad guy, not me. I didn't do that. I'm going to fight for this. I'm fighting,'" she said.
Though Lashun feels it is unjust - that others at Johnston's party received plea deals or were never charged, that witness testimony was inconsistent and that, she believes, Lee County could not provide a fair trial given the publicity of the case - she still knows Washington did not do the right thing.
"My son, he did wrong, and he has to pay for that," Lashun said. "It was hard for us at first. He came to us and broke down. He knew we did our work to him as parents, and he just apologized to us. He went to God and asked for forgiveness."
Washington ran away from home prior to the Sosas' murders and became associated with co-defendant Kenneth "Ant" Lopez.
Lashun said that prior to leaving home, her son had never been in trouble with the law.
"He was a good kid, and I think the majority of people who knew him know that," she said. "He just got messed up with the wrong kids."
Though the jury decided evidence against Washington exceeded the burden of proof to find him guilty, the Cape teen will appeal the conviction.
"I just want to get it out that that this is unfair," Lashun said. "All we can do is pray, and we tell him to pray. It's not over until God says it's over."
Washington will try to retain his lawyer, Paul Sullivan, for the appeal process, or otherwise will hire private council.
Washington's father, mother, 23-year-old brother and 18-year-old sister continue to cope with what has happened, and have offered their condolences to the Sosa family for the loss of Alexis and Jeffrey.
"You just can't imagine how they're feeling right now," Lashun said. "You just don't know. Nobody really wins."
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 9/21/09
Roderick Washington is a 19-year-old who once played football and basketball, ran on the school track team and held a steady job at a Cape Coral McDonald's. He enjoyed dancing.
Family members hoped Washington would one day inherit the family business, a mobile barbecue restaurant.
But a night at Kemar Johnston's birthday party in 2006 changed the then 16-year-old's life forever - a night that ended in the brutal murders of Alexis Sosa, 18, and Jeffrey Sosa, 14.
Washington was found guilty as a principal in the slayings, first of two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in May, then of two counts each of first-degree murder and kidnapping in a retrial last week.
Washington and nine others are accused in the killings, several of whom are allegedly members of a rap group called the "Cash Feenz."
According to his mother, Lashun Washington, her son was not a part of the Cash Feenz.
"What hurt me the most is how they were trying to label him as a Cash Feenz," she said Monday, following her son's sentencing.
Lashun has been Washington's mother since his biological mother died when he was 2 years old. She is married to his father, Rickey Washington.
A 12-person jury decided Washington held Jeffrey and Alexis Sosa at gunpoint in Johnston's home as they were tied, beaten, carved and covered in bleach, and helped load them into the trunk of a car used to transport them to a north Cape Coral industrial site where they were shot to death.
He was sentenced Monday to serve four consecutive life sentences, which will be added to the 30 years he is already serving from his conviction in May.
Lashun said her son's life was taken for a crime he did not commit, and murders he had no idea would take place as a result of his actions.
She feels that because Washington chose to go to trial, he was punished.
"You shouldn't take away his life when you know he wasn't the one who killed them," she said.
Lashun said that after the first trial, state attorneys offered Washington 10 years in addition to his 30-year sentence in exchange for his testimony against co-defendants, but Washington refused.
State Attorney's Office spokesperson Samantha Syoen said no information was available Monday evening regarding a proposed agreement between the state and Washington.
Lashun said her son wanted to fight for his innocence.
"He said, 'I'm not the bad guy, not me. I didn't do that. I'm going to fight for this. I'm fighting,'" she said.
Though Lashun feels it is unjust - that others at Johnston's party received plea deals or were never charged, that witness testimony was inconsistent and that, she believes, Lee County could not provide a fair trial given the publicity of the case - she still knows Washington did not do the right thing.
"My son, he did wrong, and he has to pay for that," Lashun said. "It was hard for us at first. He came to us and broke down. He knew we did our work to him as parents, and he just apologized to us. He went to God and asked for forgiveness."
Washington ran away from home prior to the Sosas' murders and became associated with co-defendant Kenneth "Ant" Lopez.
Lashun said that prior to leaving home, her son had never been in trouble with the law.
"He was a good kid, and I think the majority of people who knew him know that," she said. "He just got messed up with the wrong kids."
Though the jury decided evidence against Washington exceeded the burden of proof to find him guilty, the Cape teen will appeal the conviction.
"I just want to get it out that that this is unfair," Lashun said. "All we can do is pray, and we tell him to pray. It's not over until God says it's over."
Washington will try to retain his lawyer, Paul Sullivan, for the appeal process, or otherwise will hire private council.
Washington's father, mother, 23-year-old brother and 18-year-old sister continue to cope with what has happened, and have offered their condolences to the Sosa family for the loss of Alexis and Jeffrey.
"You just can't imagine how they're feeling right now," Lashun said. "You just don't know. Nobody really wins."
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