Ford receives maximum sentence
NORWICH – George Ford Jr. was given the maximum sentence in Chenango County Court Thursday and will spend the next 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of 12-year-old Shyanne Somers of Otselic.
“I have no doubt that you killed Shyanne Somers. What I don’t know is why,” said presiding Broome County Court Judge Joseph F. Cawley.
“What’s particularly troubling to me is the fear and terror that that younger girl went through in the last moments of her life. I hope that that fear and terror is the last thing you think about every night and the first thing you think about every morning,” said the judge.
Shyanne’s father, James Somers, spoke on his daughter’s behalf while her mother, Kathy, and other family members looked on in the courtroom.
“There is nothing that can be done to replace what we’ve lost,” James Somers said.
“He made a choice and that choice ended my daughter’s life and now you need to make the choice of what will be done with his,” said Somers, speaking to Cawley before sentencing.
Ford’s attorney Randel Scharf objected to 19 different items included in his client’s pre-sentencing report, the document that will follow him through the prison system and determine his parole eligibility in 25 years. He also reiterated the defense’s position that the GPS evidence against Ford was circumstantial.
Police uncovered a GPS tracking system in Ford’s truck, which his wife, Cindy, admitted she had placed there without his knowledge because she believed him to be having an affair. Investigators said the tracking device recorded the time, speed and location of the vehicle at the time of Somers’ death.
District Attorney Joseph A. McBride said “The GPS found justice” and “told the truth” of the case.
McBride said 44-year-old Ford picked up the girl at around 11:30 p.m. July 7, 2007, to babysit for him so he could return to a party, but his wife returned home instead. Ford then brought Somers to an abandoned property on Will Warner Road, where police found evidence of cocaine use. The GPS then shows the truck traveling down the seasonal road to the location of the murder. Prosecutors believe Ford deliberately ran over Somers with his pick-up truck to silence her over what may have happened at the residence.
McBride said the GPS tracker in Ford’s truck offered evidence in contradiction to Ford’s statements given police, proving he murdered the young girl.
Another factor McBride pointed out was that Ford did not arrive at the hospital with the girl until several hours after the incident.
Ford arrived at Chenango Memorial Hospital with the victim’s body at around 4:40 a.m., claiming he accidentally ran over the girl four hours earlier, while turning his truck around.
“While he sat there in his truck with that lifeless child, he did not choose to help her. He chose to sit there and decide how he could get away with murder,” McBride told the court.
Ford also made a statement to the court, strongly denying allegations of any sexual contact with the victim. Speaking directly to Somers’ father, he reiterated that the girl’s death was an accident.
“I want it clear, from me to him, I want him to know that’s not what happened,” said Ford referring to the prosecutions allegations of sexual misconduct.
Scharf said police had performed a rape kit on the victim, examined Ford’s past for sex-related incidents, examined the scene of the alleged crime for days and found nothing to support the accusation – circumstantially or directly.
Cawley agreed with the defense in the trial and didn’t allow the DA to bring the issue up in witness testimony.
Scharf admitted to the court that Ford caused the death of Somers, but disputed that it was intentional.
“It boils down to criminal conduct. There isn’t a question of that. The question is if it is criminal murder,” said Scharf.
Ford said that at the time of his arrest, he didn’t think the incident would ever “escalate” to a murder charge. If he had known that, he would have been “more clear” in his statements to police, Ford said, the statements prosecutors later claimed showed a changing story.
“I’m not going to insult anyone by apologizing, because there is no way to apologize for it. But it was an accident,” he said.
Ford’s estranged wife Cindy spoke after the sentencing. “I’m happy with the verdict and I’m just glad it’s over. If there is an appeal, they’ll have to subpoena me to get me to come back. It’s just been too traumatic,” she said. Cindy said she planned to return home to New Jersey and tell the couple’s 5-year-old child about his father’s sentence. McBride credited Cindy with coming forward in the case and helping police to use the GPS.
“She did a very difficult thing because she knew, as we all do, that it was the right thing,” he said.
“The worst part of the whole thing was not knowing. We still don’t know what really happened and we never will,” said Cindy.
“I have no doubt that you killed Shyanne Somers. What I don’t know is why,” said presiding Broome County Court Judge Joseph F. Cawley.
“What’s particularly troubling to me is the fear and terror that that younger girl went through in the last moments of her life. I hope that that fear and terror is the last thing you think about every night and the first thing you think about every morning,” said the judge.
Shyanne’s father, James Somers, spoke on his daughter’s behalf while her mother, Kathy, and other family members looked on in the courtroom.
“There is nothing that can be done to replace what we’ve lost,” James Somers said.
“He made a choice and that choice ended my daughter’s life and now you need to make the choice of what will be done with his,” said Somers, speaking to Cawley before sentencing.
Ford’s attorney Randel Scharf objected to 19 different items included in his client’s pre-sentencing report, the document that will follow him through the prison system and determine his parole eligibility in 25 years. He also reiterated the defense’s position that the GPS evidence against Ford was circumstantial.
Police uncovered a GPS tracking system in Ford’s truck, which his wife, Cindy, admitted she had placed there without his knowledge because she believed him to be having an affair. Investigators said the tracking device recorded the time, speed and location of the vehicle at the time of Somers’ death.
District Attorney Joseph A. McBride said “The GPS found justice” and “told the truth” of the case.
McBride said 44-year-old Ford picked up the girl at around 11:30 p.m. July 7, 2007, to babysit for him so he could return to a party, but his wife returned home instead. Ford then brought Somers to an abandoned property on Will Warner Road, where police found evidence of cocaine use. The GPS then shows the truck traveling down the seasonal road to the location of the murder. Prosecutors believe Ford deliberately ran over Somers with his pick-up truck to silence her over what may have happened at the residence.
McBride said the GPS tracker in Ford’s truck offered evidence in contradiction to Ford’s statements given police, proving he murdered the young girl.
Another factor McBride pointed out was that Ford did not arrive at the hospital with the girl until several hours after the incident.
Ford arrived at Chenango Memorial Hospital with the victim’s body at around 4:40 a.m., claiming he accidentally ran over the girl four hours earlier, while turning his truck around.
“While he sat there in his truck with that lifeless child, he did not choose to help her. He chose to sit there and decide how he could get away with murder,” McBride told the court.
Ford also made a statement to the court, strongly denying allegations of any sexual contact with the victim. Speaking directly to Somers’ father, he reiterated that the girl’s death was an accident.
“I want it clear, from me to him, I want him to know that’s not what happened,” said Ford referring to the prosecutions allegations of sexual misconduct.
Scharf said police had performed a rape kit on the victim, examined Ford’s past for sex-related incidents, examined the scene of the alleged crime for days and found nothing to support the accusation – circumstantially or directly.
Cawley agreed with the defense in the trial and didn’t allow the DA to bring the issue up in witness testimony.
Scharf admitted to the court that Ford caused the death of Somers, but disputed that it was intentional.
“It boils down to criminal conduct. There isn’t a question of that. The question is if it is criminal murder,” said Scharf.
Ford said that at the time of his arrest, he didn’t think the incident would ever “escalate” to a murder charge. If he had known that, he would have been “more clear” in his statements to police, Ford said, the statements prosecutors later claimed showed a changing story.
“I’m not going to insult anyone by apologizing, because there is no way to apologize for it. But it was an accident,” he said.
Ford’s estranged wife Cindy spoke after the sentencing. “I’m happy with the verdict and I’m just glad it’s over. If there is an appeal, they’ll have to subpoena me to get me to come back. It’s just been too traumatic,” she said. Cindy said she planned to return home to New Jersey and tell the couple’s 5-year-old child about his father’s sentence. McBride credited Cindy with coming forward in the case and helping police to use the GPS.
“She did a very difficult thing because she knew, as we all do, that it was the right thing,” he said.
“The worst part of the whole thing was not knowing. We still don’t know what really happened and we never will,” said Cindy.
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