Man persuades judge to let daughter’s killer go free

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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A drunken driver was freed from prison Monday at the unusual request of the father of the woman he killed — an  appeal the inmate’s attorney said shows the “human capacity for forgiveness.”

Cecil County father Jeff Vetter persuaded Baltimore County Judge Robert Dugan to release from prison Michael Jacoby, the 24-year-old Hunt Valley man who killed his daughter in a April 2007 crash. Vetter, who said he contemplated killing Jacoby just a few weeks ago, said he had a change of heart after seeing Jacoby’s genuine remorse at his sentencing last month.

Jacoby’s freedom will allow the two to speak publicly about the consequences of drunken driving, the 50-year-old father said.

“I had a lot of anger, frustration, hate and disbelief in the judicial system,” Vetter said in court Monday. “I’m hoping we can turn this thing around and maybe save some lives.

“I have a feeling he’s a different person and will be morose after this,” he added.

Attorneys on both sides called Vetter’s request “one-of-a-kind.” Vetter’s daughter, 20-year-old Jessica, was riding on the back of a motorcycle April 20, 2007, traveling through an intersection on York Road near the Timonium fairgrounds. Jacoby attempted to make a left-hand turn in front of the bike as the light turned yellow.

Both Vetter and the motorcycle’s driver were ejected from the bike, according to charging documents. Jacoby, whose blood alcohol content was double the legal limit, was uninjured, records show.

In court Monday, Jeff Vetter and his wife, Donna, set next to Jacoby’s parents, who agreed to pay $11,000 for the family’s funeral expenses. Both wept as Dugan agreed to suspend their son’s four-year prison sentence in exchange for a home-based substance abuse program and 400 hours of community service.

“We were really taken aback and humbled by this,” said Jacoby’s attorney, Richard Miller. “Thank you really doesn’t do it justice. This is a pretty remarkable set of developments and it shows the human capacity for forgiveness.”

Dugan commended Vetter for “looking beyond personal tragedy.” Sentencing Jacoby, a certified public accountant who had no prior criminal history, was difficult in the first place, he said,

“I can relate to you, but I can also relate to the defendant’s father,” Dugan told Vetter. “That’s what makes these cases so very, very difficult.”

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com

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