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Death-row inmate on victims’ family: ‘I love them’
TweetOhio’s parole board has urged clemency for the convicted killer of a Hubbard woman.
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS — The man scheduled to die next month for killing a Hubbard woman in a murder-for-hire scheme said he is at peace with his fate, whether that means execution or life in prison without parole.
“Even still if the governor doesn’t grant clemency, then I feel that the Lord wants me home,” Jason Getsy said during a death-row interview this week.
“And I am at peace with that because all of my trust is with him. You know, all of my faith and trust is in him. And if I were to get clemency, I’d feel like I have work to do, like maybe I have more work to do for him.”
Getsy was interviewed Tuesday by Jo Ingles, a reporter for Ohio Public Radio, on behalf of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association. The Statehouse reporters group is allowed to interview death-row inmates before their executions. Other association members get interview transcripts.
The hourlong interview took place at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown with his attorney, Michael Benza, present.
Getsy, now 33, was convicted in the 1995 murder of Ann R. Serafino and the attempted murder of her son, Charles Serafino. According to court documents, Getsy and two other men were hired to kill Charles Serafino by another individual over a business disagreement. Serafino, though shot in the face at point blank range, survived.
The state parole board, on a 5-2 vote, recommended clemency in the case, noting that Getsy, the triggerman, was the only one of four co-defendants who received the death penalty. A jury rejected death for the ringleader of the murder for hire, John Santine.
Gov. Ted Strickland has not yet issued his decision on the clemency. The victims’ family and others in the community recently completed a petition drive urging the governor to allow the execution to take place as scheduled, on Aug. 18.
During his interview with the Statehouse reporter, Getsy spoke about his troubled childhood — never meeting his biological father, being exposed to violent men and drug abusers, getting kicked out of home and living on the streets, and using drugs and alcohol.
Getsy reiterated what he told the parole board during the clemency process — that he was afraid of Santine and felt trapped.
“[Santine] would claim to have an organized-crime connection; he would claim to have police in his pocket; he’d claim to have government officials, judges. He would talk about people that he could have do things — acts of violence,” Getsy said.
He added later, “You could remove me or [the other convicted conspirators] from the crime, and it still happens. But the only figure that you can’t remove from it is Santine. If you remove him from the crime, it doesn’t happen. And every court I’ve been through has said that he is if not equally, a more culpable offender, in this crime.”
Getsy said he didn’t know either of the victims in the case. He said he initially thought it was Charles Serafino when he fired in the hallway of the home on the night of the crime.
“I was not aware, at the time, that it was her,” he said, referring to the murder victim.
“I was under the belief that Mr. Serafino was the only one [in the home].”
He added, “Even as it was unfolding, I couldn’t believe that it was happening. ... [It was] almost like I was standing on the outside watching it happen but ... I believed at the time that ... I didn’t have a choice.
Getsy said he hoped the Serafino family would “be able to heal. What can you say? I mean, there’s, of course, I’m sorry. ... But that seems so little. You know, really, what can you say? ... There’s nothing that I can do to undo what was done. I mean, I love them. I’m very concerned for their well being and, like I said, everyday I pray for their healing, for them to find peace somehow.”
Asked what he would do if the governor grants him clemency, Getsy said he would use his life as an example to warn others headed down similar paths.
“The first thing that I would want to do is get somewhere and check the chaplain service and maybe see what I can do there,” he said.
“Maybe I can talk to some people. Maybe some of the kids who are coming into the system with some of the same anger that I had in my heart when I was a kid, I can show them how carrying the love of Christ in your heart is a lot better than carrying around that anger.”
Comments
What an idiot. He is only kidding himself with this Jesus Christ babble. I am not the most devout christian in the world, but i am smart enough to remember the ten commandments, one of them being "thou shalt not kill." He will burn for an eternity.
An eye for a eye ! God had nothing in it then nor does God have nothing in it now. It's a mortal sin to take a life period. Burn in Hell fool.
Don't know about your God but mine is a forgiving God.
mine too
"It's a mortal sin to take a life period."
so executing him is ok?
TB I agree with you. He has shown remorse but knows he can't undo what he did and took responsibity for it. If clemency is contingent on his following thru with helping the troubled youth coming into the system, I would be for it.
Some don't place a value on life until their own is ready to end. Is he truly remorseful at this point? Nobody on this earth is able to penetrate his mind.
From Wikipedia--Mortality is the condition of being mortal, or susceptible to death.
My god is also a forgiving god, however believe it or not, there are things in this world that just cannot be forgiven in the eyes of the lord, no matter what they tell you at Victory Christian Center.
"there are things in this world that just cannot be
forgiven in the eyes of the lord" Gee, that's interesting.....I didn't realize that you saw with God's eyes. YOU don't get to do the judging. God does. For further enlightment, I would suggest reading any of the four Gospels.
He is an evil cold blooded killer and 14 years or 140 years isn't going to change that. For those of us that lived this hell and was at the trial to see and hear all of the evidence know what actually happened. His words are rehearsed as I heard the exact same thing at his clemency hearing. What else is he going to do...he wants to save his own skin and professing to have found the Lord is the only shot he has. We provided proof of his ongoing lies at the clemency hearing, his own words in letters.the last one a month ago to my house and still he is lying. He has blamed everybody else but himself. Just so you know..he knew exactly who he was shooting when he pulled his gun and shot my brother at point blank range in the hallway. My brother fell into the bathroom. He had already hit my mother on the back of the head and put a four inch gap in the back of her head and lost so much blood it covered her bedroom floor. AFTER THAT because it wasn't good enough, he went back and stood over her adn shot her twice as she lay on the ground. Tell me he didn't know he was shooting my mother!!! One of the bullets was found underneath her body because it hit the floor boards! The evidence proofs this. He is a two time cold blooded killer and I hope none of you are fooled by him!! You will never know the hell until you walk in my shoes and my mother deserves JUSTICE.
You are so right Nancy!! I am so sorry for you and your family's grief and loss. I hope he gets what he deserves. Why do people think that after they commit crimes such as this, that finding God makes it all better, makes them reformed and a better person?? It does not erase any of the pain and suffering he has inflicted. He didn't think about God when he was making the arrangements to commit the act.
prodgodq on June 7, 2009 at 2:43 p.m.
On [story] Priest who served at Mooney, Warren, Boardman admits allegation, is removed
Posted on June 7 at 2:43 p.m.
"I am Catholic myself, but I have no sympathy for individuals who have allowed themselves to become so sick that they would abuse a child"
What if this priest is remorseful? shall the lord forgive him and let him into heaven?
hypocracy should also be a sin.
Funny how people find religion when they are put behind bars. If he wasn't caught, would he be attending church every Sunday morning? Doubt it.
Maybe it's about time he meets his maker.
Another jailhouse conversion! It's amazing how many inmates "find" Christ when they get locked up. Well, let's arrange the meeting. I know Christ is forgiving, but I, unfortunately, suffer from human frailty and think he deserves what he was sentenced to.
I am Ann Serafinos niece, and I know some the hell and agony this has caused for all of my family.We had to try to console each other, how hard that was. Who went on medication, some of us could not return to work. For two years I would lock myself in the restroom at work and scream,thinking of the terror of her last moments, they said she keep asking, " why, why are you doing this? Well she soon got her answer,a head split open then two gunshots. Now we want an answer...JUSTICE FOR ANN!!!
"What if this priest is remorseful? shall the lord forgive him and let him into heaven?
hypocracy should also be a sin."
The Gospels teach us that if he is truly remorseful, the Lord will forgive him. My point was that God does the judging. We are not qualified to condemn a man to hell.
I have the utmost sympathy for the victims of this crime. If they feel that justice will be done by this man's death, then I have no place to argue with those emotions.
But as far as the ultimate judgement......that is God's alone.
Dear "Site Staff", I take exception to you removing my earlier posting related to this Article. After reading the "four-lettered f-bombs" included in the posts on the Pavlik Article, I do not understand why you thought my post was more offensive than the "four-lettered f-bombs" that did not get removed from the Pavlik Article. My previous post on this Article simply stated, "Cook Him"; which you removed..
Very few look up until they are all the way down; do not judge someone who claims to have found Christ whether in jail or not...there are those who have used that but there are those who were not able to accept Christ until they had completely hit rock bottom..and some of those have been in jails, prisons, rehabs, half-way homes, etc.
That being said, one who serves God, has accepted his ultimate gift of salvation, who reads and understands His Word and seeks Him diligently can then claim to be a true Christian or devout Christian...just saying it does not make it so.
I would never minimalize the loss of life in this case nor the pain and suffering this family has endured, but neither do I have the right to judge Jason Getsy's heart...only God has that right and God alone...but I do believe that if I was writing all of these hate-filled posts, I would examine my own spirit and my own standing with God. God is not HATE and never will be.
Executing him will not bring anyone back either. I understand the anger, etc. but real justice would be served if you could bring someone back.
Hes full of crap....He should die....hes guilty...he never denied shooting these people so we know without a dought hes guilty let him pay for his actions...I was a witness in his trial and he desev\rves what he got...theres no question in my mind that this is the wrong sentence for him. i felt juctice was served when he recieved the death sentence.Im sure the Serafino family fells the same...NO CLEMENCY....