Payne and Gonzales Sentenced

Days after the mother of Ariana and Tyler Payne eloquently told her story at a child abuse rally in New York, their killers were sentenced.

On April 27, 2009, Reina Gonzales was sentenced to two 22 year terms, running concurrently. The sentence was not a shock for those who have been following this case, as Gonzales had plead guilty in August 2008 to spare herself from a trial. Her plea to two counts of second degree murder was exchanged for her testimony against her former boyfriend and child killer Christopher Payne-the father of Ariana and Tyler.

On March 17, 2009, Christopher Mathew Payne was found guilty of murder in the case of both Ariana and Tyler Payne. Two weeks later, on March 31, 2009, he was sentenced to death . After the trial and the rendering of the death penalty by a jury of his peers, Chris Payne still awaited sentencing on the other charges of which he was found guilty. Those charges were two counts of child abuse against Ariana Payne, one count of child abuse against Tyler Payne, and two counts of concealing a dead body.

On April 30, 2009, Chris Payne was sentenced to an additional 51 years on the child abuse and concealment convictions.

To say the case of Ariana and Tyler Payne has touched my heart in ways that I cannot describe would be a gross understatement. Sitting at their memorial service in August 2007 was heartbreaking. Hearing the disparaging remarks about their mother, Jamie Hallam were angering. Reading the details of the horrific suffering they went through was unimaginable. Imagining little Tyler, barely clinging to life while shut in a closet with his baby sister's lifeless body has left me wondering if there would ever be justice for what these people put Ariana and Tyler through. Thinking about Tyler, who will probably never be truly laid to rest, his tiny body forever buried in a landfill with little hope of ever being found.

As much anger, pain, and heartache I feel for Ariana and Tyler, I can never imagine what it's like for their mother, and everyone else who knew them and truly loved them. The book will never truly be closed for them, only more chapters will keep beginning. The difference is now, the new chapters will bring hope, awareness, and love for all children. Our children deserve to live better lives than Ariana and Tyler were able to. The ones that we can't save deserve justice, just like Ariana and Tyler now have.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Jamie Hallam was a speaker at a child abuse rally in NYC. Her speech should serve as an inspiration for anyone who has ever gone through child abuse and anyone who has lost a child because of it. I would encourage everyone to listen to her words and watch the video.




Source: Tucson Citizen