Man Paralyzed In Philadelphia Shooting Testifies In Court
By Tony Hanson, Anne-Marie Green
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for a robbery and shooting he committed because he was "bored." The victim, who was shot in the neck, is now paralyzed, but his spirit is not broken.
During a gut-wrenching and emotional sentencing hearing, family and friends of 29-year-old Kevin Neary struggled to explain the impact of this senseless crime, and then Neary testified from his wheelchair, describing his new routine, the surgeries, infections, meds, catheters and enemas. But he said he gets through it with the love of family and friends, who packed the courtroom.
"They have been there, they have stayed there … hugs, kisses, whatever they could do that they could be a source of ... something to uplift me, and that has been incredible, and I couldn't do it with it," Neary said.
But this remarkable young man, who says he bears no ill will toward the shooter, still has big dreams of helping other spinal cord victims and lifting their spirits. Despite his situation, he says he doesn't want to give someone a dreary outlook on life.
A judge sentenced gunman Christopher Easton Wednesday for his role in the shooting last November. Easton confessed to the crime just as his trial was set to begin. Easton said he robbed Neary because he was "bored."
