SYRACUSE -- Choking back tears, Nicole Snyder unleashes her pain, saying it never should have happened. Wednesday morning, Shawn Rhines apologized as he was sentenced for gunning down her father. "I couldn't imagine myself doing something like this, but I have," Rhines said in court. "And I'm here to take full responsibility for my actions," he said.
Outside court, it was another emotional scene as Nicole struggles to understand life without her dad. "He just didn't deserve it," Snyder said. "It's unfair and it just shouldn't have happened," she said. It was cold January day, when life would take an unexpected turn for 47-year-old Casimir Snyder. The Syracuse DPW worker and father of four was getting into his car when he was shot and killed.
Initially, 16-year-old Ja-le Johnson came forward, claiming he fired the fatal shot. But days later, another teen, Shawn Rhines, took responsibility, saying he was the true killer. It turns out, the two were smoking pot together in an attic across the street from Snyder's house. They started shooting squirrels, when suddenly, Rhines admits, he turned the gun on Snyder.
Rhines was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison. It's a sentence that doesn't sit well with the victim's family. "I think the kid deserved to get more than what he got," Nicole Snyder said. "My father was just a family man that worked to take care of his family," she said.
"Unfortunately, due to the laws and Shawn Rhine's age, the sentence parameters are a lot different than those for an adult," said Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle.
As for whether Nicole will ever forgive her father's killer, she says, "Right now, I don't know. My heart's empty right now. Maybe someday, but now, I don't know."
While Tuesday's sentencing provided some closure for the Snyder family, this case isn't over yet. Ja-le Johnson is still facing charges of criminal facilitation, hindering prosecution, perjury and criminal possession of a weapon.
