A bittersweet day came last month for the family of an Auburn native who was stabbed in the abdomen and left to bleed to death outside of his California apartment a year and half ago.
Robert Manuel Medina, 20, of Lemoore, Calif., pleaded guilty in a California Superior Court on May 22 to second-degree murder for killing Bill Harig, 59, formerly of Auburn, on Dec. 11, 2007.
“It's satisfying knowing that (Medina) has taken responsibility for what he did,” said Bill's brother, Tom Harig, as he spoke about the guilty plea, “but the personal outcome that we don't have a father, a son or a brother named Bill remains the same.”
Police have been unable to determine a motive or any personal connection linking Medina to Harig, and have labeled the crime as a random act of violence, Harig said.
Medina admitted to stabbing Harig, a retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer, as he walked his dog outside his Lemoore apartment at 9 p.m., Kings County Deputy District Attorney Tonya Lee said. Despite efforts by rescue workers to stop the bleeding, Harig was pronounced dead at the scene.
Medina originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but withdrew the motion after three psychologists said he was not insane at the time of the crime, Lee said. Two of those psychologists were court-appointed and a third was hired by defense attorneys.
Harig, of Queensbury, N.Y., said that other than a coroner's autopsy report, initial information about the murder was hard to come by. Any information that was available was difficult to obtain since most of the family lives on the East Coast.
“We were 3,000 miles away and didn't know what happened,” Harig said. “We were not really able to just run out there to find out what was happening because there was nothing to find out.”
Harig said the murder has deprived communities in California and central New York of man dedicated to local music.
In Auburn, Bill Harig attended St. Alphonsus School and Mt. Carmel High School and formed The Sheffields, one of the city's earlier rock bands. In California, Harig continued to pursue his music and was known for his guitar skills.
With the murder still fresh in their minds, Harig said the family will submit written victim impact statements to the court in anticipation for Medina's Aug. 12 sentencing date. Medina is expected to receive 15 years to life in prison.
Even after sentencing, Harig said the family will still have to prepare for future parole hearings, a process that will continuously re-open old wounds.
“With eight siblings, it was almost like a small community,” Harig said. “You had different relationships in different ways. It's a long healing process that people have to go through, and not all of us have gone through it yet. We still have a remaining wound that's going to be open the rest of our lives. Every time his parole comes up we will be reminded ... and we will make sure he never sees the outside of a prison again.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
“It's satisfying knowing that (Medina) has taken responsibility for what he did,” said Bill's brother, Tom Harig, as he spoke about the guilty plea, “but the personal outcome that we don't have a father, a son or a brother named Bill remains the same.”
Police have been unable to determine a motive or any personal connection linking Medina to Harig, and have labeled the crime as a random act of violence, Harig said.
Medina admitted to stabbing Harig, a retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer, as he walked his dog outside his Lemoore apartment at 9 p.m., Kings County Deputy District Attorney Tonya Lee said. Despite efforts by rescue workers to stop the bleeding, Harig was pronounced dead at the scene.
Medina originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but withdrew the motion after three psychologists said he was not insane at the time of the crime, Lee said. Two of those psychologists were court-appointed and a third was hired by defense attorneys.
Harig, of Queensbury, N.Y., said that other than a coroner's autopsy report, initial information about the murder was hard to come by. Any information that was available was difficult to obtain since most of the family lives on the East Coast.
“We were 3,000 miles away and didn't know what happened,” Harig said. “We were not really able to just run out there to find out what was happening because there was nothing to find out.”
Harig said the murder has deprived communities in California and central New York of man dedicated to local music.
In Auburn, Bill Harig attended St. Alphonsus School and Mt. Carmel High School and formed The Sheffields, one of the city's earlier rock bands. In California, Harig continued to pursue his music and was known for his guitar skills.
With the murder still fresh in their minds, Harig said the family will submit written victim impact statements to the court in anticipation for Medina's Aug. 12 sentencing date. Medina is expected to receive 15 years to life in prison.
Even after sentencing, Harig said the family will still have to prepare for future parole hearings, a process that will continuously re-open old wounds.
“With eight siblings, it was almost like a small community,” Harig said. “You had different relationships in different ways. It's a long healing process that people have to go through, and not all of us have gone through it yet. We still have a remaining wound that's going to be open the rest of our lives. Every time his parole comes up we will be reminded ... and we will make sure he never sees the outside of a prison again.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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