More on a tragedy

I am responding to “In God’s justice,” a letter written by Nicole Michaud [BDN, Nov. 14].

I am the mother of Thomas Maki, whose tragic death had been termed suspicious from the very evening that he died. Although I am unable to disclose evidence regarding my son’s death, I would like for Nicole Michaud to know how my family feels at this time.

In her letter, she states that she “feels very much” for Tommy’s death. Let me ask her, if this were an “accident,” as Dean’s first story claimed it to be, as a mmother did she not feel compelled to contact my family to offer he condolences? We never heard a word from her or her son. She speaks of what a “kind and lovable person” her son is, and she says “no one can speak wrong of him.” Might I suggest that she speak to the people in Fort Kent, more specifically, his “fellow” students. We have certainly been painted a very different picture of the son whom she describes.

Regarding Dean’s withdrawal from the University of Maine, it was on Sept. 19 that our family made the trip to Maine. On that day, as we attended a meeting at the school, we were told that Dean had withdrawn that very morning, eight days after my son’s death. Perhaps she and her son could have attended the beautiful memorial service held at the university on Sept. 21, but they chose not to.

In her letter, she speaks of her son “being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Just who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? If she knew the facts, she would clearly see that it was Tommy, the drowning victim.

It appears to me by her letter that her son has only told her of his first story, that which he claims was an accident.

Clearly, if that were the case, a murder indictment would not have been handed up, and reviewing the results of the autopsy report alone would certainly give her something to think about.

Perhaps now is the time for her to ask Dean to be honest, with himself and with his family. As his mother, she deserves to know the truth, just as we do, and we pray every day that Dean will tell the truth.

Our God is also not a God of vengeance, as referred to in her letter. As I have stated publicly before, I am grateful that the laws of the state of Maine do not allow for the death penalty, as I would not want his parents to go through this unbearable pain of losing a child. There is a difference between justice and vengeance.

On the night that our son’s life was taken, only God, Tommy and Dean were there. Tommy can no longer speak for himself, and with God’s help we will see justice for Tommy. Rosemarie Maki East Bridgewater, Mass.

Re: “Arrest made in drowning” [BDN, Nov. 9-10]. Since we have been friends with Dean Michaud for a very long time, we want to clarify certain points that we strongly believe have been overlooked.

Please don’t take offense, but certain points were not credible. By law, Dean is not guilty until proven guilty. We want to express our most sincere feelings about this tragedy. We believe there are always two sides to a medal and that you only showed one side in your article. If you knew Dean as well as we do, you would know him as a likable, honest, warm, caring and lovable person.

It’s inconceivable for us to believe that a person like Dean could have committed this horrible act. He’s a very calm person and has a lot of self-control. Moreover, he has always preferred to deal with difficult situations intelligently. He would talk to solve any conflicts. It would be pushing to the extremes to even suggest that Dean would attempt to kill. Dean is the kind of person who is the best kind of friend one could ever have.

We understand the suffering of the victim’s family and friends and we offer our support. But we cannot forget that the life of another man is at stake. There is not only one solution to the problem, because nobody else was present when the accident took place. Did you evern take a minute to consider that maybe Dean really did everything humanly possible to save the victim? We are certain of this.

How can we even speak of justice when we’re only looking at one side of the medal? Where is the justice in this horrible tragedy? We would like to give our supoprt to Dean and all his family, that we love them every much and wish them all the best. Melanie Moreau St.-Jacques, New Brunswick Manon St. Jarre Edmundston, New Brunswick