Monday, January 31, 2011

Custodial dad enters guilty plea in shooting death of child (Las Vegas, Nevada)

We've posted on this case before. And like many of these cases, the media has a way of "forgetting" over time that an abusive and/or negligent father was in fact custodial. See earlier posts on dad ALEX KOPYSTENSKI for clarification on this issue, like this one:

http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2009/07/dad-leaves-gun-in-car-5-year-old-son.html

Now Dad has been sentenced to 2 - 20 years in prison for the shooting death of his 5-year-old son.

Father enters guilty plea in shooting death of child
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jan. 25, 2011 4:32 p.m.

The father of 5-year-old Giovanni Kopystenski, who died in 2009 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm last week.

Alex Kopystenski of Las Vegas faces two to 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 23 before District Judge Jessie Walsh.

Authorities say Giovanni was in his father's car on July 20, 2009, outside a Walgreens drive-through lane at Durango Drive and Warm Springs Road when the child picked up a loaded handgun. The boy suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.

Giovanni, who was autistic, was pronounced dead at a hospital.