Sentence in choking death jolts victim's kin

Reviews, Videos, and Everything Else Martial Arts in the News
1

excerpted…
Sentence in choking death jolts victim’s kin

By Natalie Singer and Nathan Hurst
Seattle Times

Alan Cole was killed while wrestling with a friend.

Robert Burke tearfully told the family of a friend he accidentally killed during a wrestling match that he was sorry and would take it all back if he could.

But Burke’s apology wasn’t enough for the family of Alan Cole, the 26-year-old man who died in November after the two wrestled in a Shoreline apartment while drinking. And for Cole’s family, Burke’s punishment wasn’t enough either.

Police and paramedics who were called to a Shoreline apartment on Nov. 19 found Cole on a bedroom floor, not breathing. In another bedroom was Cole’s roommate, passed out from drinking, according to the police report.

Burke and a fourth friend were out on the balcony, where Burke was crying and talking on his cellphone, according to the charging papers.

Police said Burke later told them what had happened: Burke, his friend Cole and a third friend had been drinking. Burke and Cole started wrestling, and Cole demanded they continue wrestling after Burke tried to go to sleep. Eventually, Burke placed Cole in a chokehold.

According to police reports, Burke said he was on top of Cole’s back, put his left arm around Cole’s neck and held him there for a moment while Cole was talking to him.

Burke told King County sheriff’s investigators that when he released Cole, his friend just “lay limp on the floor,” and that after noticing that Cole’s hands were blue, the friends called 911 and tried to resuscitate him.

Cole died from a lack of oxygen to his brain, caused by a compression of the neck during a physical struggle, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=wrestling12m&date=20060812
(Full article)

This is a weird case, read the full article for all the sentencing details.

2

This almost happened to me once. I don’t drink and grapple anymore…

3

Man, the family members of the poor victim sound like a bunch of asshats. “He needs jail time.” Please. Don’t they think Burke is going to be tormented for the rest of his life after accidentally killing a friend under his own arm? What could be worse?

Well, yeah, 8 years in prison would be worse.

But why can’t they just admit that it’s a terrible and tragic thing that happened, and move forward?

4

I’m not saying you’re wrong but it sounds to me you don’t have kids.

5

Haha. No, you’re right: I don’t.

So it’s just objective vs. subjective reality then? Damn, I hate that.

6

M.A.D.A.G.

Mothers against drunking and grappling

7

I understand the point that you’re making but I have a son and I’m still not sure what side of the fence I sit on here. Someone intentionally hurting your kid is one thing but two guys play fighting and one accidentally chokes the other out a little too hard or for too long? I don’t know…

8

M.A.CH.A.D.O.

Mothers Against CHoking A Dumbass Out

9

It was a tragic accident. Period. He shouldn’t have been charged at all.

10

It was more in the statement that they were a bunch of ‘asshats’. You with a son can at least understand. I don’t have to concur with them to understand how they feel.

11

I got choked unconscious in a fight with one of my old housemates. He was being an asshole so I started to beat on him. :boxing: We were real drunk, by the way. So I knocked him on his ass, stood back to admire my work, and he got up and tackled me and busted my face open. I was covered in blood and there was blood all over the carpet and sprayed on the walls. For weeks afterwards people would come over and think someone got killed in the livingroom. Then for some reason he let me up, and we squared off. I went to kick his knee, meaning to break it, and he took me down again and choked me out. :new_sleep It was awfully nice of him to do that, since I was trying to cripple him and all. I didn’t die, though. Good times.

12

After I watched the Gracie Basics tapes and a couple UFCs, I was wresting with my cousin. I had never choked anybody before, but I choked him out, and I’m glad I let go fast, because I was completely ignorant when it came to chokes. He could’ve died or had brain damage and I wouldn’t’ve known it was gonna happen until it did.

Choking people+ignorance=Potential Tragedy

13

I understand the family is pissed and sad that they lost a family member.
However, that’s why we have a justice system and not just let the family perform whatever vigilantism they think is appropriate.

14

Sure, I do understand the family’s grief and anger. I think the dead guy’s friend must be feeling equally bad, if not a helluva lot worse than the family. He’ll probably be in therapy for the rest of his life.

15

When friends don’t stop friends from drinking and fighting…friends die !

I can understand the loss that familly must feel but as it’s been said the guy is going to live with the fact that he killed his friend and end-up in Therapy.

16

What we learn from this is you should -never- fight/wrestle intoxicated. Im sure if they were both coherant that no one would have died, because he would have died.

17

…while we’re on the subject of coherence… no

I’m curious what reasoning led the court to its decision. Had he been driving and hitting the friend with his car I assume the penalty would have been harder. What exactly does the law say?

18

But they were both consensually (is that a word) wrestling. Play fighting isn’t illegal even when drunk. Driving under the influence however is.

19

Yeah. I’m not questioning the sentence. I was just curious how the law was applied.