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Detroit Free Press
October 15, 2014
It was just a few weeks ago that Nina Vitale went to visit her big sister at her new house in Royal Oak, where the elder sibling showed off her latest purchase: a toddler-sized rocking chair.
“I started laughing and said, ‘Francesca, you’re not even pregnant!’ ” Vitale recalled, noting her sister was eager to have children.
Tragically, Francesca Weatherhead’s life was cut short.
The 25-year-old newlywed and former homecoming queen was killed in a car crash Monday that involved a parolee fleeing Livonia police. They were pursuing him for an attempted home invasion when, police say, he ran a red light and broadsided Weatherhead’s car at 6 Mile and Beech Daly, killing her.
Her family now is demanding answers.
They want to know why the suspect — a habitual offender whose crimes include home invasion, weapons violations, drug possession and larceny — was paroled to begin with. He was paroled in May, five years after he was sentenced to 4-20 years in prison for home invasion and drug possession.
“Why, why was he let out?” her mother, Angela Vitale, said through tears. “They should be held responsible — whoever let him out should be held responsible.”
Her daughter, who was helping put her husband through medical school and was just settling down in her new home, deserves justice, she said.
“She was a great person … a good kid, hardworking,” her mother recalled. “She had a whole life ahead of her.”
Weatherhead’s accused killer is John McCallum, 27, of Detroit, who is facing numerous charges in her death, including second-degree murder. He was arraigned Thursday in 16th District Court and was ordered jailed. A preliminary examination has been set for Oct. 23.
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, under his sentence, McCallum was eligible for parole on Sept. 15, 2013, but was given a continuance by the parole board and directed to complete a violence prevention program.
“He successfully completed the program with a very positive overall assessment and was paroled May 6, 2014,” according to an MDOC statement provided to the Free Press. “While in prison he also completed his GED … and the Chance for Life program. The parole board also indicated that prisoner McCallum expressed remorse and insight into his offense during his interview.”
According to MDOC spokesman Russ Marlan, Michigan’s parole system has produced one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country: 71% of prisoners released do not come back to prison within three years.
“However, predicting human beings’ future behavior can be a very difficult task. Unfortunately, some of the individuals they parole end up not being successful and some end up hurting innocent citizens,” Marlan said. ” I know personally that these cases have a significant impact on the individual parole board members involved — they anguish deeply over these cases.”
