Salvatore Anello, the man who last year pleaded guilty to the fatal fall of his 1-year-old granddaughter from a cruise ship, has been sentenced to three years of probation, Puerto Rican authorities said. announced Monday. Ring was charged with negligent homicide in the death of Chloe Wiegand, who fell more than 100 feet in the window of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in July 2019.
Wiegand fell from the docked ship after Anello held her up against what he believed were a set of closed windows and she slipped from his hands. Surveillance video obtained by CBS News showed the moments before the fatal fall, in which Wiegand ran to the windows with Anello chasing her. Anello could then be seen lifting her up and holding her over the railing.
Anello repeatedly said that he only stopped her because he believed there was glass, and that otherwise he never would have.
“The moment the accident happened, it was like this wall of protective glass disappeared,” he previously told CBS News. “I was in disbelief … I didn’t drink and I didn’t hang her out a window. I just wanted to knock her on the glass, as we often did together … I was placed in charge of keeping my beautiful granddaughter and I failed. “
Wiegand’s family has not filed a report. But he was charged with negligent homicide by prosecutors in Puerto Rico, where the ship was docked at the time of Wiegand’s death.
Anello originally pleaded not guilty to the charges. But after months of legal battle, he agreed to plead guilty in October 2020.
“This decision was an incredibly difficult one for Sam and the family, but because the plea deal does not include jail time and no acknowledgment of facts, it was decided that the plea deal is in the best interest of the family so that they can make this terrible deal. and turn their attention to Chloe’s grieving and fighting for the safety of cruise passengers, ”the family’s lawyer said at the time.
Wiegand’s family has sued Royal Caribbean, claiming the company has failed to “provide reasonably safe children’s entertainment areas, including reasonably safe windows.” A family lawyer previously told CBS News that the ship did not comply with safety regulations and should have been equipped with fall prevention window guards, mosquito nets and a device that would have prevented the window from opening more than four inches. The company denies the allegations.
David Begnaud contributed to the reporting.