Michael's lawyer asked his mother to ask friends and family members to write letters on Michael's behalf to show his good character. Michael's mother Ellen, first asked my sister and she deferred it to me, saying I have a better memory. I
spent 2 full days working on this letter, including having 5 different people look at it and make their corrections.
I emailed the letter to Ellen, warning her that it will make her cry.
After reading the letter, she wrote back saying the following:
This is great. It did make me cry. I greatly admire you.
Love you!
******......******
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Jonathan Alpert. I am a cousin of Michael MacMullin. As someone whom I have known since he was born, I would like to share with you some personal stories, so you can understand who Michael is.
Michael is a caring, loving, young family man who is hard-working and has aspirations of owning his own auto-mechanic garage.
Michael was brought up in a hard-working family. Donny, his father, worked in the construction field. Michael’s mother, Ellen, worked her way up at the Winchester Hospital, where she is currently the director of health information. Michael’s grandfather, Lenny, owns a pharmacy. As a teenager, Michael would work in between his school schedule and his crazy hockey schedule. He would help out at the store whenever he could. It is from these close relatives from whom Michael observed and learned to have great work ethic.
Michael is a family man. He enjoyed spending holidays with my side of the family. His mother would have Thanksgiving at their house while we celebrated Chanukah at my house. Being blind, I am not able to light the Chanukah candles myself and although Michael did not know Hebrew, he would assist me in lighting the candles. My sister would stop by their house on Christmas. She says that Michael would be playing video games and my sister would say hi. Once he saw her, his face would light up and he would instantly pause the game to get up to give her a hug. Since it was difficult to get all the cousins together, we always looked forward to holidays. Michael loved to just sit and listen to how his older cousins were doing. He would joke around, mostly at his own expense, so he could make people laugh and smile.
I have a picture in my room from when Michael was 10 years old. It is a picture of him playing hockey. On the frame of the picture it says, “MY BUDDY.” It is a perfect way to explain our relationship.
I went to a number of his ice hockey games in his youth. After each game, whether he had showered or not, he would make sure to come over, give me a hug, and thank me for coming to his game. It did not matter if his team won or lost, or whether he did great or not; he appreciated my being there for him.
I lost my vision at a young age. Some people shied away from me. However, Michael did the opposite. Whenever we were together, he would always make sure I had all the food and drinks I wanted. If he saw that I was sitting by myself, he would start talking sports with me, or he would escort me to where people were. I would never have to ask. He was always right there for me. He is a good man in that way.
When Michael was younger, he would join my family on family vacations to Gloucester for the 4th of July. He also joined us on our February vacations for “Disney on Ice.” Regardless of what we were doing, Michael would take any opportunity to spend it with family.
Michael always had a love for anything on wheels and fixing them. Whether it was a friend’s truck, a family member’s car or his own motorcycle, he would assess the problem and repair it, and always with a smile.
Michael graduated from Malden Catholic High School in 2007. He furthered his education by attending Ben Franklin Institute for one year. He then transferred to Universal Technical Institute and graduated with a Certificate in Diesel Mechanics.
Michael took his educational knowledge to Gaeta's Towing. He started out as a Tow Truck Driver for five years. He also worked in the "bay" as a mechanic. One of his duties was performing state inspections for motor vehicles. He was licensed to perform inspections, oil changes, and engine repairs. Michael wanted to further his career. He was hired about a year ago at North Reading Transportation as a fleet maintenance mechanic. His responsibilities included checking the buses for safety and repair as necessary. He enjoys his job and both the people he works with and for.
In this letter, I have shown you the Michael whom I know. He is a caring, loving, young family man who is hard-working and has aspirations of owning his own auto-mechanic garage. It is my deepest belief that Michael now has a clear understanding of what he has done wrong. He is ready to change his lifestyle to get back on the career path he has worked so hard to achieve and enjoy the time with his family whom he loves so much.
Please have mercy on my cousin Michael. He has his entire life ahead of him. I ask for you to give him a chance to make a change in his life. I believe everyone deserves a second chance and hope you do too.
Thank you for taking your time to read my letter. I greatly appreciate it.
Most Sincerely,
Jonathan Alpert M.ED
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