There is something wrong that not one article I have read about this tragic incident has ever mentioned Summit School's responsibility in pairing these 2 students together as roommates. One child lives exclusively in a world of structure and order and the other was incapable of any kind of structure and order. Why in the world would a professional put them together?
I feel that this boy was the scape goat and Summit got off clear.
It is now 5 years later, does anyone know what has happened to Ian Sinovoi, does anyone care? Is he still in prison and what good is that doing?
I don't know. The insane placement of these boys together as roommates struck me as well. Tragically inappropriate.
I wasn't able to find much of anything either, but it has only been 4 years since the
sentencing, so the earliest that he might get out would be another year. ISAC has a clipping from
The Journal News, the same publication from which a different story was excerpted above by Deborah.
http://www.isaccorp.org/summit/summit-s ... 19.03.htmlTeen gets jail in death at Summit SchoolBy STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWSJune 19, 2003
A 17-year-old boy suffering from a mental illness was sentenced yesterday to between five and 15 years in prison for pushing a teenager out a second-story window to his death at an Upper Nyack school.
Ian Sinovoi of Manhattan must serve at least five years in prison for second-degree manslaughter in the death of Jeremy Gaulin of Dobbs Ferry. They had just become roommates when Sinovoi pushed Gaulin out the window Oct. 3 at the Summit Children's Residence and School.
Gaulin's mother, Judy Parton, spoke tearfully about her son before County Court Judge William Kelly sentenced Sinovoi.
Parton, who works with developmentally disabled children, said she wanted Sinovoi to serve 15 years.
Parton, her hands shaking as she read her statement, said her son's death had devastated his family, including his four siblings, father, stepfather, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. More than 10 family members attended yesterday's sentencing.
She spoke of little things missing in their life without her eldest son, such as buying one less ticket for a family outing to the movies. She said she would never see her son graduate from college or get married or see his wish come true to get a driver's license. He would have turned 16 on June 27.
"The most emotionally upsetting was Mother's Day," Parton told Kelly. "While other mothers were getting Mother's Day cards and flowers from their children, I brought Jeremy flowers for his grave. I didn't go to any fancy brunches. I spent time at the cemetery with my son, Jeremy."
Sinovoi, a husky teenager with a slight beard, stood with hands chained behind him, wearing a blue county jail jumpsuit. When it came time for him to speak before sentencing, Sinovoi told Kelly: "I wrote something. I really can't say it right now." Assistant Public Defender Claire Cincotta then told Kelly about Sinovoi's medical history, noting the judge had been given 15 years' worth of psychiatric and education reports on Sinovoi. She asked that Sinovoi be placed in a special jail unit so he could receive treatment, a request Kelly said he would recommend to the state Department of Correctional Services.
The reports outlined that Sinovoi suffered primarily from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and had a penchant for order and details. He also suffered from an intermittent explosive disorder when his lifestyle was disturbed.
Sinovoi's mental illness reduced his capacity to plan, control or appreciate the criminality of his actions when he pushed Gaulin out the window, Cincotta said. Gaulin suffered from attention deficit disorder, which tends to include an inability to focus and to keep to a routine.
Sinovoi's mental illness led prosecutor Louis Valvo to reduce the criminal charge from second-degree murder to manslaughter. The plea agreement came after psychiatrists for Sinovoi and the prosecution concluded the teen did not mean to cause Gaulin's death, but had acted with reckless disregard for his life.
Cincotta, speaking after the sentencing, said Gaulin's mother was "very merciful and understanding" of Sinovoi.
"Ian's parents feel terrible about what he did and their concerns go out to Jeremy's family," Cincotta said. "Both families lost a child, one to death and other to prison. It is a sad case."
Gaulin's grandmother, Theresa Gaulin, said she wanted Sinovoi to serve 15 years in prison.
"I don't think five years is enough," she said, crying outside the courtroom.
Kelly said the case was unusual because of Sinovoi's mental illness, but he agreed to the five- to 15-year prison sentence. He called Gaulin's death "barbaric," but noted psychiatrists found that Sinovoi could not control his violent impulses.
Kelly said the state Parole Board should take Sinovoi's condition into account before considering an early release from prison in five years, for fear such an incident might happen again.
Parton, Gaulin's mother, also said she wanted Sinovoi to get treatment for his mental illness while in prison, but she could not forgive him.
"Jeremy was given a death penalty for nothing," she said in court. "I cannot forgive Ian for what he did at this time, but I pray that my family and his find some peace in our lives. Someday I may be able to forgive Ian."
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