My heart goes out to those involved with the Karen Wood tragedy. The Wood and Rogerson families have undoubtedly experienced much turmoil from the events that took place 20 years ago. I was deeply touched by this story, but I was particularly struck when Kevin Wood mentioned that the reactions he got from Maine natives after his wife’s death had made him ill at ease.

In my own experience of moving to northern Maine several years ago with my family from New Hampshire, I also felt that vibe from some of my new peers, that there was a closeness amongst these people, more so than I have ever felt in any of my other homes.

I do not necessarily feel that this is a bad thing to have here in Maine. Unity is an empowering thing for a community to possess, but I do sympathize with those who have felt like outsiders. The fact that it took a second jury to decide that Rogerson was not guilty of manslaughter goes to show that Maine people felt there was no need for justice to be served to possibly help Kevin Wood cope with the loss of his wife. Mr. Wood felt a sense of isolation during this tragic time in his life, when he should have been shown support from community members.

Christina Berube

Orono