Dad sentenced in attempted murder of wife, stabbing of teenage daughter (Beckley, West Virginia)

Dad RONALD KEITH LEGG has been sentenced to 5-25 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife and the stabbing of his then 13-year-old daughter.

Notice how much pubic support this sh** gets for his actions, though. Over 100 letters? Disgusting. Do you think that if a mother had taken a knife to her husband and son (before fleeing the scene and engaging in a standoff with the local police) that she'd have been described as "a very fine woman" and a "gentle person" who didn't need to be in jail? No freaking way.

http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_022224227.html

Published: January 22, 2010 10:59 pm

Man sentenced

By Michelle James
Register-Herald Reporter

Emotions ran high Friday as two victims and the defendant’s mother addressed Raleigh County Circuit Court during a sentencing hearing for Ronald Keith Legg.

Legg, 53, of Beckley, was sentenced to five to 25 years in prison for the 2007 attempted murder of his then-wife Sherry Legg and the stabbing of his teenage daughter.

Sherry Legg and daughter Hannah, who was 13 at the time of the incident, spoke to the court, asking that Ronald Legg be punished for his actions, which left both of them emotionally and physically scarred.

“Why?” she asked her ex-husband. “I don’t feel I deserved to die. I don’t feel like he had a right to play God that night and take my life.”

She recalled hearing Hannah, who was stabbed in the abdomen while trying to stop her father’s attack, pleading, ‘Mommy, please don’t die.’”

An emotional Hannah told Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick her father needed to pay for trying to take away “the most important person in my life.”

“I didn’t think she was going to make it,” she said.

Sherry Legg, who was stabbed four times in the chest and temple, said she did die that night and visited the “most beautiful place” before she was revived.

“I hope God can forgive him for what he has done,” she said of Ronald Legg, adding he “destroyed” their family. “Maybe in time I will (forgive) ... right now I can’t.”

Ronald Legg, who said he did not remember stabbing Hannah, apologized for his actions and said he was grateful his ex-wife survived the attack.

“(I’m glad) the Lord protected her (and) the girls will have her,” he said, adding he would never harm anyone again.

Lula Legg, Ronald’s mother, told the court her son is a “very fine man” and a “gentle person” who she did not feel needed to be incarcerated.

Prosecutor Kristen Keller disagreed, however, asking for the maximum sentence for Legg, who fled the scene and was arrested several days later following a standoff with State Police.

“He did not stick around long enough to see whether he had succeeded (in murder),” Keller said, adding Legg did not stay to check on his injured daughter, either. “He fled ... What cowardice.”

Public defender Joseph Noggy argued his client had no criminal record prior to the incident and was unlikely to re-offend.

“(My client) is not asking the court to just sweep this under the rug and let it go,” he said, asking for concurrent sentencing as opposed to consecutive. “This is out of character for him.”

Although Kirkpatrick said he received more than 100 letters in support of Legg, he added Legg’s “appalling” behavior could not be excused.

Kirkpatrick sentenced Legg to consecutive terms of three to 15 years for attempted first-degree murder, one to five years for unlawful wounding and one to five years for felony child abuse causing bodily injury.

A one-year sentence for domestic battery will run concurrently.

Additionally, upon release, Legg must register with the child abuse registry for 10 years.

Legg’s plea agreement included a lifetime restraining order barring him from ever again having contact with Sherry Legg or their children.