Chaska Herald - Public Safety - Comments

No updates yet. As of today,

Mollee Francisco — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:40:56 -0500

No updates yet. As of today, the charges against Bermel are still listed as first and second degree assault. We will update this story as appropriate.

(Mollee Francisco is a staff writer for the Chaska Herald. She can be reached at mfrancisco@swpub.com.)

If the 5 year old

barb broberg — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:58:37 -0500

If the 5 year old desedeserves to have her Daddy around, why wasn't Kirk with her instead of out drinking?

Kirk used to live in the same apartment complex as I do and his reputation here was "a mean drunk"

What was Brody's mother thinking to be out ldrinking and living with this man. I think she should be charged with child endangerment.

since I am not from this

awilliams1163 — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:24:31 -0500

since I am not from this area has there been any news on how this case is proceeding?

Self-defense??? If the teen

awilliams1163 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:48:40 -0500

Self-defense??? If the teen had used his fifth amendment right he may have stood a better chance of using this defense. However, in his own words he stated, "Kirk started pushing him and his mother tried to intervene. Kirk allegedly pushed her away causing her to fall (or possibly she fall because she was intoxicated?) and then Kirk pushed Brody low enough to the ground that Brody was able to grab a 4 foot long pipe. Allegedly Kirk tried to punch Brody and brody hit Kirk in the torso causing him to fall to the ground but on the fall down Brody continues to hit kirk 2 to 4 more times in the head with the pipe. kirk loses consciousness and Brody hits kirk again in the leg because Brody wanted Kirk to remember it when he woke up." This is Brody's own voluntary statement to law enforcement. Why didn't anyone (like mom) advise him to ask for a lawyer in the first place? Why didn't Brody pick his mother up when she called? Was he waiting for Kirk to show up so he could do just what he did? Why didn't the mother call the police instead of her 16 year old son or go into the bar for help or simply start screaming if she was being assaulted?

This story has been updated

Mollee Francisco — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:42:45 -0500

This story has been updated to reflect information from the criminal complaint.

(Mollee Francisco is a staff writer for the Chaska Herald. She can be reached at mfrancisco@swpub.com.)

I think it is ironic that

ravens — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:04:29 -0500

I think it is ironic that they want to try Brody as an adult at the age of 16 when Sean was an adult when he decided to get drunk, lose control, and try to walk home in the winter without a coat. But still they have to put the blame for Sean's actions as an adult on someone else as if it wasn't Sean's own fault. But now, a 16 year old is protecting his mother -- yes he may have hit the guy one too many times -- and now suddenly he is an adult and responsible for his actions. I hope Brody has a good attorney and that they pursue self-defense charges.

Wow, where do I begin? First

Cousin of JR — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:57:58 -0500

Wow, where do I begin? First off I want to thank everyone that has thought of us "the family"..
You know after being back in my hometown this last weekend laying my cousin to rest, my mind did nothing but wonder why? We all have made some mistakes but no mistake is worth taking a life over...None of us will ever know what truely happened that awful night and hopefully the truth will come out soon enough. It bugs me alot to wonder if all the focus that Brodey is getting is where the focus should be, noone has even mentioned the fact that maybe just maybe he didn't do anything at all...He is only 16 and could take the blame and get off alot easier than a grown women..I find it odd that my cousin fell and "cracked his skull on concert that was not even around" so the story from Sheree...Where in the hell does the pipe come from? You know had it been a fair fight JR may have taken a shot or two but would not have ended up the loser here, I have never heard of a boxer using anything else to fight with but his fists.
His funeral was one of the hardest things I have been through in life yet, hearing his little girl cry for her daddy watching his father and mother shed many tears and his sister trimble as she looked at pictures of their childhood. This was so wrong so very very wrong and I hope that when the truth comes out which everyone truely did it spends the rest of their life setting in a cell and thinking everyday just what they couldve done so very different...And to the one that stated KARMA is a bitch---you better believe it...
Fact here is that JR will be missed so very much, and it makes us all think once again just how short life can be..

Wow, I had know idea that

supersecretsquirrle — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:12:31 -0500

Wow, I had know idea that there were so many people there onsite when it happened.... and in reading this string sounds like you were all not only there when it happened, you saw it in HD and have the ability to know what the people involved were thinking and intending to do (MIND READERS) nice resume'
Ya know, I see all kinds of opinions but no facts... I see an opinion regarding bad parenting and teens out of control and that Kirk was a "great guy" albeit with a really long criminal record (The last conviction of which was for providing alcohol to an underage person "local kid" who regrettably died).
Also, the notion that repeatedly hitting an attacker who is trying to commit "Serious injury or death” is somehow over the line…. Well that’s just plain stupid... my training says fight/shoot/hit until the threat stops… and when it stops you stop. Gimme a break.

Bottom line, none of us knows because we weren’t there…. Let the system work it out, free from bias and prejudices.

Today in a alittle over an

awilliams1163 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:14:46 -0500

Today in a alittle over an hour I will bury my nephew, Kirk. His life was cut short because of a choice made by another. We only can hope that the truth comes out and everyone can begin to heal. I pray that Brody's life will not be ruined as well. However, our justice system will do its job and we can only hope that another life isn't wasted. i hope we all learn a very important lesson about choices made when angry and/or under the influence of alchol because this tragedy doesn't need to happen again for another family. i know we have all been affected and yes we are angry but we must start to heal and begin to move forward. I hope we never forget the lives that have been lost to violence and/or alcohol. God bless all the people involved because their lives are forever changed too.

First I would like to say to

Griffdaddy13 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:07:59 -0500

First I would like to say to those of you so filled with venom towards Brody, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." I don't know Brody, but I know his mother, and I knew Kirk. I had come to think of him as a friend, and I will miss him. I also know that he was an angry man. A 6'2" angry, powerful man with too much to drink, threatening to kill a 16-year-old boy. A boy protecting himself and his mother. No, Kirk did not deserve to die. He did, however, fall victim to the consequences of his own choices. Before you condemn Brody, maybe you should wait to hear the details, instead of a little first article newsprint. I mean, God knows the newspaper is always right. Kirk had a lot of rage, and it tended to come out when he drank too much. The saddest thing about that is that he had been trying to stop. He was doing quite well for a while. He was also on some relatively heavy medication for an injured back. 1 or 2 drinks, which is what he had been trying to limit himself to, may have hit him like a ton of bricks. To all you self-righteous uninformed, bloodthirsty fools, "Judge not, lest ye be judged in return." To Kirk, I hope you've found some peace. Goodbye my friend. To Brody, I'm not sure what to think. A man is dead by your hand, but I don't believe you meant to kill him. I can only hope for justice, and only God can decide what is truly just. Justice is what I will pray for. To Sheree, try to be strong. We miss you at break time. I understand what you've lost(to some extent) and my heart weeps for you. Come visit when you're up to it. To Kirk's family, I'm sorry for your loss, but I think it's time you admit to yourselves that Kirk had reasons for his rage, and ask God for a little forgiveness of your own. God bless you all. His will be done.

Thank you so much for not

awilliams1163 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:18:35 -0500

Thank you so much for not hating Kirk aka JR. It means alot to me and the rest of his family. god bless you ans yours.
alice

This story has been updated

Mark Olson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:48:48 -0500

This story has been updated to include the names of the drivers and details of the collision.

You have not offended me in

Bob7336 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:00:15 -0500

You have not offended me in any way. I understand your hurt. I live with the thought of Sean every day. I also am working with ex-offenders one on one as a mentor with a new organization called "The Mentor Corp" and I have privately dedicated this effort in Sean's memory. Hopefully each of us can touch a life and help them become productive and happy people.

I think we both have many questions as to why our loved ones died. I can only suppose what their lives could have been like without the disruptive force that alcohol was. But for now I will pray for you and your family.

Hello Bob I want to say I am

awilliams1163 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:18:39 -0500

Hello Bob
I want to say I am terribly sorry for your son's tragic death. I hope like you I can become a better person and forgive Brody one day. I work with ex-offenders exiting prison so they can become productive members of society. So I do know something about what I say. I don't know exactly what role Kirk played in your sons death but buying alchol for minors is NEVER a good idea. I had a family member do that back in the 80's and his friend was decapated when he hit a hay baler that was on the other side of the hill. My family member has never forgiven himself and his life has been forever changed. I have children and it makes me mad when I find that they got alcohol from an adult friend. My son is going through a DWI at 20 and all I could think of for the longest time was he could have been killed or killed an innocent person, which happens so often. However this tragedy with Kirk has made me look at working mor with the children trying to save them from these very things that you and I have had to live through. I am having alot of issues with the brutality that was commited and I wonder why the police took so long to arrive and why the mother didn't stop it before it got that far. I also wonder what Brody's family life was like that would push him to commiting such a brutal assault. I feel sorry for everyone but having JR's name slandered has crippled this family. JR was far from perfect but I believe he was trying harder to change but we will never know that for sure now. i agree when a family memeber is abusing drugs or alcohol, or both family needs to step in and get them help. Yes, the addict may be angry at first but in time they will forgive us for making them get help. I know this is true because I worked narcotics for many years and put many people in prison because it was the only way to get them help. But believe it or not they have all thanked me for saving their lives. I just want to be sure JR didn't suffer alot before he passed away. it is killing me to think of the pain he must have felt. i have never judged a person on where they live because trailer parks can be decent places to live. All I have left is my memories of JR as a child and I don't want them tarnished anymore by the insensitivity of others who are without sin that are judging him. Please except my apologies if I offended you or your family, I am hurting really bad right now. God bless you.

I am the father of Sean

Bob7336 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:25:48 -0500

I am the father of Sean Humphrey and reading the comments about this story has troubled me.

I first want to offer my sincere and deepest sympathy to Kirk's family. Losing a son, brother, father, or loved one is a loss that cannot be described and you have my thoughts and prayers.

I also want to state that whatever the role Kirk and others had in Sean’s death, both my wife and myself have forgiven them. Several of them were indeed punished for furnishing the alcohol and ultimately Sean is the one who drank and then suffered the ultimate consequence for his action.

What has prompted me to comment is that again drugs or alcohol seems to be at the root of another tragedy in our community.

Within the last few years, the murder of Nancy Everson, the death of Sean, and now possibly Kirk had drugs or alcohol as a contributing factor.

It saddens me that as a community and a society we are not changing our behaviors and learning any lessons from these events. People need to be aware of their limitations and be responsible not only to themselves but friends and family. Then when needed, we should to take action when a friend or family member is abusing drugs or alcohol. I think of the DWI’s, domestic abuse, and accidents that occur daily because of drugs or alcohol abuse. We all have a responsibility to help curb this outbreak.

I have not talked to Kirk in over a year and a half and cannot speak to any part of his life, but now he is gone and the lives of his family and the lives of Brody Bermel and his family are changed forever. Comments about this event that demean others and cause strife are counterproductive and hurtful. Let’s instead offer our support, sympathy and prayers to the families and take stock in our own lives to make sure tragedies like this do not happen again.

Bob Humphrey