A powerful and punishing finale in the Heather Cook case

Dan Rodricks
October 27, 2015

For seventy-five minutes, the women who knew and loved Tom Palermo — his mother, his mother-in-law, his wife, his sisters-in-law — spoke for him while the woman who had killed him, Heather Cook, sat motionless at the trial table eight feet away, taking a punishment that will make seven years in prison seem like blessed relief.

Absolutely painful but absolutely necessary, the heartbreaking statements of the women from Tom Palermo's life resonated with anyone who had ever raised a child, who had ever fallen in love, who had ever started a family, who had ever imagined a long life with a single spouse.

Their hands shook slightly as they read statements prepared in answer to the prosecutor's question: "How has this event affected you and your family?" the rest

Former Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook sentenced to seven years in drunk-driving death of cyclist   ...Rachel Palermo has been dealing with life as a single mother. She had no full-time job when her husband was killed, and his health insurance expired. Her three sisters said they have stepped in to try to share her burdens.

In the letter, Rachel Palermo said she was still having trouble coming to terms with her situation.

"I'm having a hard time believing this is my life now," she wrote...