(Breaking news) Salvatore sentenced to life for killing brother

Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

The Port Republic man who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of his brother was sentenced in the Calvert County Circuit Court today, Friday.

Judge Warren Krug sentenced Ricky Salvatore, 50, to life in prison suspending all but 18 years with his approximately 15 months time served in the Calvert County Detention Center subtracted from his active sentence.

Salvatore entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder on May 14 for charges of shooting his brother Robert Chris Salvatore several times in the chest and neck with a rifle while his brother was sitting in a folding chair outside of the residence they shared watching T.V. An Alford plea does not admit guilt, but agrees the state could prove the charges.

Ricky Salvatore admitted to police that he had smoked marijuana laced with PCP earlier that day, but does not recall shooting his brother.

"I don't know how this happened. It'll agonize me for the rest of my life," said Salvatore before being sentenced. "I did love my brother. We were the best of friends."

Salvatore's lawyer, Robert Harvey of Prince Frederick, said Salvatore's "sudden and harmful behavior" was brought on by drugs and asked the court to take a look at the whole picture and not that one day.

"When the final slate is written we look at the totality. We look at everything, the good and the bad," Harvey said. Harvey asked for the minimum active sentence of 15 years.

Assistant State's Attorney Francis Longwell, who asked the court for a 25-year active sentence, said, while this is a bad case for everyone, the fact that he shot and killed his brother who was helpless and appeared to be sleeping in a chair should not be overlooked.

Longwell said she hopes the community will learn from this case that "drugs are dangerous."

"It turned this man into someone nobody knew," she said. Drugs ruined his life, took his brother's life and his family lost a father, "all because of drugs," Longwell said.

Harvey called several family and friends as witnesses who all spoke highly of Salvatore, saying he was honest, hard-working and a good father and what he did was "completely out of character" for him.

Brother-in-law, Michael Scanlon, who has known him for 35 years, said, "I never saw him commit any acts of violence."

A friend and fellow youth league coach with Salvatore for 10 years, Robert Slaughter of Lusby, said, "He was truly 100 percent about the kids, all the time."

The victim's ex-wife, Patricia Keyser, who knew Salvatore for more than 20 years, read a letter written by her teenage son.

"My Uncle Ricky is one of the kindest men I know," she said, reading his letter. The letter forgave Salvatore and said that he was a best friend of the boy's father and like a second father to him and his brother.

No witnesses were called on behalf of the state as all the family spoke for Salvatore.

Krug, who said he would recommend the Paxutent Institute Correctional Mental Health Center for Salvatore's incarceration, said that he is required to serve at least half of the sentence before parole and then serve five years of supervised probation afterwards with several conditions, including no use of alcohol or illegal substances.

charvat@somdnews.com