lostatsea
01-09-2009, 07:38 PM
They threw the man overboard and all they get is 3 years?
Sandy Hook Bay drowning leads to prison for pair who tossed man overboard
Two men who threw a coworker over the side of a fishing boat nearly 10 years ago were sentenced today to three years in prison for the bullying episode that ended with the man's drowning.
Kevin Kulikowski, 38, of Sayreville, and Thomas Lyons, 44, of St. Louis, Mo., convinced their fellow fishing buddies for almost seven years to stick to the story that Michael Augulis, 34, accidentally fell overboard in Sandy Hook Bay on June 5, 1999.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2009/01/medium_Lyons.JPGfile photoThomas Lyons, 44, of St. Louis, Mo.
But the lie was exposed in 2006 when authorities reopened the case. Things started to unravel after the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office developed new information in Augulis' death while investigating a separate matter. The men were charged with aggravated manslaughter on Nov. 30, 2006.
Police said Kulikowski and Lyons, who are brothers-in-law, worked at the same North Jersey trucking firm with Augulis and repeatedly bullied him at work. That torment continued the day of the private fishing trip when the three men were aboard a 1975 19-foot Galaxy open cabin boat. Three others were nearby aboard a 16-foot Crestliner open cabin boat.
Kulikowski and Lyons grabbed Augulis, who could not swim, by his legs and his upper body and threw him into the bay, authorities said. They told investigating authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, that Augulis accidentally fell overboard.
They pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Sept. 2.
Under the sentencing by Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci in Freehold, Kulikowski and Lyons will have to serve more than 2 years of their term in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
Sandy Hook Bay drowning leads to prison for pair who tossed man overboard
Two men who threw a coworker over the side of a fishing boat nearly 10 years ago were sentenced today to three years in prison for the bullying episode that ended with the man's drowning.
Kevin Kulikowski, 38, of Sayreville, and Thomas Lyons, 44, of St. Louis, Mo., convinced their fellow fishing buddies for almost seven years to stick to the story that Michael Augulis, 34, accidentally fell overboard in Sandy Hook Bay on June 5, 1999.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2009/01/medium_Lyons.JPGfile photoThomas Lyons, 44, of St. Louis, Mo.
But the lie was exposed in 2006 when authorities reopened the case. Things started to unravel after the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office developed new information in Augulis' death while investigating a separate matter. The men were charged with aggravated manslaughter on Nov. 30, 2006.
Police said Kulikowski and Lyons, who are brothers-in-law, worked at the same North Jersey trucking firm with Augulis and repeatedly bullied him at work. That torment continued the day of the private fishing trip when the three men were aboard a 1975 19-foot Galaxy open cabin boat. Three others were nearby aboard a 16-foot Crestliner open cabin boat.
Kulikowski and Lyons grabbed Augulis, who could not swim, by his legs and his upper body and threw him into the bay, authorities said. They told investigating authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, that Augulis accidentally fell overboard.
They pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Sept. 2.
Under the sentencing by Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci in Freehold, Kulikowski and Lyons will have to serve more than 2 years of their term in prison before becoming eligible for parole.