Waters gets 15 years for hit and run

One of the men accused in the hit-and-run robbery of a College junior last October was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court yesterday afternoon. Judge Carolyn Temin sentenced 24-year-old Allan Waters to five to 10 years for the charge of aggravated assault and two to five for robbery. If Waters behaves in prison, he will be eligible for parole in seven years. A third charge of criminal conspiracy in the October robbery was suspended. Temin refused to allow the sentences to run concurrently, saying that the offenses could not be "merged." Waters, who resided with his mother in the 1300 block of S. Ruby Street, and 28-year-old Christopher Turner of Baltimore have admitted to snatching Roberta Koeppel's bookbag as she exited from her automobile last fall on the 4000 block of Locust Street. The bag was slung across Koeppel's chest and as Waters held onto the bag, Turner accelerated the van they were driving in, dragging Koeppel about 30 feet. When the strap of the bag snapped, Koeppel fell to the ground. The van backed up, running over Koeppel, and then drove off, running over Koeppel again, according to court records. Waters, who pled guilty to the charges January 29th, was dressed in his blue prison uniform with white high-top sneakers. He sat emotionless throughout the proceedings. He has been held in a Philadelphia detention center without bail since he entered his plea. But when Temin announced her sentence, Waters appeared shocked. When Temin asked Waters whether he understood his sentence he did not respond for several seconds. "Do you understand your sentence?," Temin asked. "Seven years?," he replied in disbelief. Waters' court-appointed public defender, Peter Maas, had argued that Waters deserved a lesser sentence because he has a severe drinking problem which causes him to do things that are normally against his nature. "My client admits that he does things under alcohol that he wouldn't do otherwise," Maas said. Maas also argued that because Waters was not driving the van, he did not make the decision to run over Koeppel twice, and therefore should receive a lesser sentence than Turner. Turner will be sentenced separately May 14th. Waters' grandmother and mother testified at the sentencing, repeating over and over again that Waters' only problem is his drinking and that otherwise he is a "good kid and a good son." "My son can't comprehend what has happened and is really sorry for it," his mother, Veronica Waters, said. Waters' grandmother added that he was not aware Turner had mental problems. If he had been, she argued, it is possible Waters may have never gotten in the van with him. Barnaby Wittels, Turner's defense attorney, said this week psychiatric evaluations performed on Turner have shown that he suffers from schizophrenia and other mental problems. According to court clerk Michael Sosnowicz, Waters has one prior conviction on his record for a weapons offense. However, both Sosnowicz and Judge Temin said Waters is not considered to have a serious criminal record. Assistant District Attorney James Lyons disagreed during the hearing, saying Waters fully understood the severity of what he had done and must be held responsible for his actions whether or not his alcohol problem caused them. Lyons said more importantly, Waters took away a portion of Koeppel's life which can never be returned by causing her severe physical injuries and emotional trauma. "He deprived her of her physical and emotional health," Lyons said. "He deprived her of her school experience. He deprived her of her youth and that is something that he can never repay to her." College junior Heidi Howard, who witnessed the accident, recounted the robbery during the hearing. Additionally, Lyons introduced an "impact statement" written by Koeppel, who was not present at the hearing, which detailed the effect the incident had on her life. The statement was taken by Victim Support Services Director Ruth Wells and University Police Officer Sandra Moteles, both of whom were present in the courtroom along with some of Koeppel's friends. Lyons explained that Koeppel did not attend the trial because she felt that she "couldn't face [Waters] again." While the standard court guidelines recommend a sentence of 42 to 66 months in jail, Lyons said he asked for a harsher sentence due to the "viciousness" and "outrageous nature" of the crime. "The standard sentence would have been wholly inappropriate and way too low," Lyons said. "These men left her to die in the street." Judge Temin told Waters there is no excuse for his actions. She explained to him that being sorry and blaming it on an alcohol problem is not an excuse he can hide behind. "There is some hope for you," Temin said. "There is some hope that you will have learned as a result of this experience that alcohol abuse does not excuse you, that being sorry later does not excuse you, that getting involved with a companion who is violent and malevolent does not excuse you from your responsibility." Temin added that although Waters was not driving the van, he could have prevented any physical harm to Koeppel by releasing his hold on the bookbag strap. Therefore, she ruled, he is just as culpable as the driver of the van. "I am convinced that although you were not the driver of the car, that because you did not release the strap, you are as responsible for her injuries as the driver of the car," Temin said. "I am very satisfied with the verdict," Lyons said afterward. Defense Attorney Maas, on the other hand, was not pleased with it. "I was hoping that the sentence would be less," Maas said. "I sincerely think that it was too high." Members of the Waters family did not want to comment after the sentence was handed down, but one of Waters' sisters appeared upset with the decision and indicated that based on the severity of this sentence, Turner deserves a more severe sentence. "Chris better get at least 30 years," she shouted to another relative in the hall outside the courtroom.

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