Oct. 17, 1997: Remember that day

Bottom line is that Randy Visor should have been sentenced to death for that horrific crime against the women he killed. He is a cold blood killer.

Randy Visor must be a man of no conscience. After all the grief he has caused , he is still flouting the law. The hardship his family would face if he were to lose his job, while unfortunate, simply can not be used to mitigate his offense.

Remember this about that day: Some rules are easily broken and might be so trivial you wonder why they exist. But they exist for a reason. Sixteen-year-old children do not belong on public highways at 4:00am, and the rule that applies here is called curfew. Those who break this seemingly insignificant rule put themselves at the mercy of people like Randy Visor, and could pay a horribly disproportionate price.

Mr. Limbaugh makes an important point. While Randy Visor had no business driving while intoxicated, those girls should never have been allowed to be in his path. The same applies to the Oswego teens who recently died after getting into a vehicle with an allegedly intoxicated driver. I support the tougher laws on drunk drivers, but wonder when we will have tougher laws that address the parents who are not taking care of their children.

While Mr. Limbaugh and Gazer make interesting points, I think they are absolutely ridiculous. These girls were out participating in a school tradition...a school tradition involving the members of the WVHS Student Council. In addition, two of them were scheduled to be at early morning swim practice only about an hour after this accident happened. How do I know? Because I was also there, but just in another car. These girls were smart girls and were leaders at the school. How dare you blame their parents. If you want to blame parents who are REALLY not taking care of their children, go find the parents that allow their children to become truants, fail classes, and do drugs. And as far as the statement of wanting "tougher laws that address the parents who are not taking care of their children", think before you speak. Do you want to see parents who don't know how to take care of their children? Work a day in my job...as a child abuse and neglect prosecutor for the state of Missouri. The Andersons, Roberts, and Matzdorfs', are loving parents and raised beautiful girls who would have done amazing things with their lives. Do not blame anyone but the ONE person who is responsible...Randy Visor.

I agree with Gazer, granted I was only 11 years old when this happened I still remeber that day like it was yesterday. I knew Jennifer Roberts and Her Mother was my teacher I still have nothing but pain for the families, and I have occasionally brought up that night. Also making more laws is not going to do anything, people will still go and drink and drive and young adults are still going to be out of the house with or without permision. Its only the truth and its sad that it is this way and that people can't understand that. Even worse, people are going to point their finger at the parents, and they should be ashamed.

I am in no absolving Randy Visor. That said, just because an activity is a “school tradition” and involves members of the student council, doesn’t make it legal or safe or one that should be kept.

Who is at fault when a child is given parental permission, unsupervised, and subsequently injured while performing something dangerous or against the law? If you do not believe that, call the police department and ask about curfew. I did. Like it or not, curfew is in effect until 6:00 AM. If the girls had not been allowed to violate this law, they would have been home and safe from a drunk driver. Letting your children do whatever they want whenever they want is indifference. So, yes, the parents not only allowed, but assisted their children in violating curfew with the most horrific outcome a parent can imagine.

I work in an upper middle class area and see children misbehaving all the time - doing things that place them in harm’s way. When anything is said to the child, the parent becomes irate. For one example, I have been yelled at by parents for asking their 3 year olds to climb down from an overhang where there is an 18 foot drop to a hard floor. The parents, who were more than 20 feet away, let me know that I had no right to say anything to their children, they were just having fun. This was not an isolated incident. If the parents are not going to parent and supervise their children to keep them safe, who is supposed to do this? We have become a society where the parents are overly permissive and whenever the child does something wrong, the entire blame is placed on another party.

Unfortunately, 10 years ago, three children died while out to have fun by committing socially acceptable acts of vandalism. But all their goodness, all their intelligence, all their days at school, and all their leadership abilities were not enough to keep them safe and away from the path of a car driven by a drunk driver. Sometimes laws are not enough. Sometimes the only thing between children and tragedy are parents who say "No".

I know the Visor family. They are good people. I have to agree with Nana. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children. I totally agree that Randy had no business out there driving. I am the mother of a teenager, and believe me, I could not imagine what the parents of those girls have been through over the past 10 years. With that said, I would not have allowed my son to be out, early dawn, to TP anyone's home. It is dangerous, not to mention, vandalism. In defense of Randy. I know he has been torn up about this entire ordeal. To all who THINK they know. You don't know CRAP! Some of the previous comments were made as if Randy is a happy go lucky guy, living life with no worries. How do you know how he feels? How do you know what he thinks about? Have you never met the man. He is a good person who made a terrible mistake that HE, not you, has to live with. Do you know anything about this man, other than what the biased media has told you? You don't know squat! HE IS SUFFERING TOO. The parents and loved ones grieve and he has to deal with the fact he took 4 lives. Can you imagine living with that kind of guilt. We have all done something that has affected others that we are ashamed of. How do you feel about that? He has to live with a bad choice for the rest of his life. If you ask me, having to live with that type of guilt is worst than the death penalty, Joe B. The fact still remains that he is here, his sons need to be supported, therefore, he needs to work. Everyone is always ready to judge, but no one wants to put themselves in anyone elses shoes. Do you know how hard it is for an ex-felon to get a job? He felt like he had no other choice but to drive to work. He has to do what he can to keep his job because knows how hard it will be for him to find a new one. Would you rather he not work and reap the benefits of public assistance to live? Then we, the, tax payers, will be paying for his living expenses. How do you like that idea? Didn't think you would. He did his time and he is still paying for the crime he committed. When people going to stop being so vengeful and let this man live and get by the best way he can. He is trying to do the best with what he has. It doesn't help anyone and it certainly won't bring back those girls, to continue to wish bad fortune on a man who has to live the tremendous amount of guilt this man has to live with. On the day of judgement, we will all have to answer for what we have done in our lives, including judgeing others.

I am absolutely positive that Randy Visor feels bad that he got liquored up and killed some kids. I am sure he feels like crap he can't get a good job because he broke the law and went to jail. I am sure that life sucks for him.

But come on... I have been driving for > 30 years now and I have NEVER been in court over my driving. I have grandparents how have been driving for even longer who have never been in court over their driving. If he killed someone behind the wheel of a car and was truly repentant it seems to me that the very least he could do is STOP getting arrested for doing stupid stuff in his car. How hard can that be, millions of people manage it and we didn't kill anyone. Why can't Randy?

That's right people. Blame the victims.

This is unbelievable - where are you people living? In outer space? How dare you blame the parents or the WVH girls. Place blame where is belongs - with the DRUNK driver. Randy Visor made a decision when he drank and then got into the drivers seat and started his car. A horrible decision - but that is the deciding factor that CAUSED the accident. He needs to suffer the consequences. Since when is it the innocent parties fault just because they were there? Do not put blame on the parents or the innocent girls. If he hit a bus full of people (who were over the age of 16) .. would you be saying the blaming them too? Come on people. Randy Visor is the person to blame. Let him rot in jail. Too bad he didn't die that day. Then we wouldn't be paying for the wasted tax dollars on him. He probably has a wonderful family, but he is still guilty.

Randy Visor got off way too easy for the lives he took. Why is he even out of prison?? I just hope that the drunk driver in the Oswego crash, Sandra Vasquez does not get such a short prison term also!! Everyone stop blaming the victims whether they were out early following high school traditions or out late w/o parents knowing!! Fact of the matter is if u have been drinking...DO NOT DRIVE!!

YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHAT MY COUSIN AND HIS WIFE HAVE GONE THROUGH BECAUSE OF RANDY. HE SHOULD HAVE ROTTED IN JAIL. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE DOESNT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BREAK THE LAW.HE HAD NO BUSINESS DRIVING THAT NIGHT. THE GIRLS AND THEIR FAMILIES WERE THE VICTIMS THAT NIGHT THINK ABOUT IT.

MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILY WHO LOST THERE CHILDREN, SIBILING, GRANDAUGHTER WHOM EVER. IM 18 YEARS OLD AND IM DOIN A RESEARCH PROJECT AND ITS ON THIS ACCIDENT. I NEVER KNEW I WAS GOING TO END UP READING SOMETHING LIKE THIS ITS SHOCKING AND IM SO SORRY GOD BLESS AND R.I.P TO JENNI ANDERSON, ALLISON MATZDORF, JENNIFER ROBERTS, AND ANA PRYOR AND TO RANDALL VISOR I HOPE YOU R0T IN HELL.