“You walk out here today, you can hug your wife and your son, I can’t hug my son.” These are the exact words that Engel Cola said to Victor Park.
A few days ago, Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorney Ross Goodman put an end to a five-year-old manslaughter case in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Victor Park, 65, a former pawnshop owner, was convicted of shooting Thomas Cola, 21, when the latter allegedly attempted to steal a Cartier watch from Victor Park.
The event took place on January 30, 2009, when Thomas Cola, believed to be under the influence of cocaine, used a fake ID to get Park to pull out a $1,300.00 Cartier watch from the display case. Cola grabbed the watch from Park’s hand — that is when Park got his gun.
Cola tried to flee the premises but failed when the magnetized door would not budge, He turned back to Park in a threatening manner. Then, the 65 year old, fired at Cola as he tried to bust through the door. Cola died outside the pawnshop.
“I regret how things turned out, but I did what I had to do” Park told the judge.
Attorney Ross Goodman said that in a previous robbery case, Park got shot and was seriously injured, leaving him hanging for his life. Park didn`t want that to happen again. Park just wished Thomas Cola had never entered the store.
Park is to serve three years of probation.