Victim Impact Statement

The Honorable Joanne F. Alper,

My world has been changed forever. One of my children is missing. My heart is heavier than I could ever imagine. It has been eight months since our dear Nathan was taken from us as the result of an admitted inexcusable act of disregard for human life by a drunk driver. The pain is excruciating. The fact that he is gone is devastating to me and my family, and also to anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing Nathan in his 25 years on this earth. Cut short in the prime of his life, Nathan will forever be remembered. It will be my attempt in this impact statement to explain the impact to me, our family, and all those that were blessed to know Nathan. My pain is unbearable and to see the same pain in the eyes of my wife, my daughters, and anyone that knew Nathan is almost too much to bear. Nathan was a remarkable person. He treated everyone with love and kindness. The extent of this world’s loss will become more evident as you read this impact statement.

My wife and I have been blessed with three beautiful children. We brought all three up in Massachusetts (~30 years). Our oldest daughter, Adrienne (33) is married, lives in Rutland, Vermont, and has just blessed us with our fourth grandchild three months ago, Preston Nathan, named after Nathan Bradley. Our second child, Lindsay (28) attended James Madison University. Nathan followed her to Virginia and attended Radford University. My wife and I moved to Virginia in 2005, the year Nathan graduated. When we moved down here our family was finally reunited, except for Adrienne in Vermont. Little did we know that it was going to be the last two years of Nathan’s precious life.

My wife and I have tried our best to teach our children right from wrong and to love everyone. That love has always emanated from Nathan, Lindsay, and Adrienne in many ways. We always took an active part in every part of their lives from attending student activities to being at every ball game. I think our family bond stems from the fact that during their upbringing my wife was at home and that we brought our children up in the church. The family bond between our family members could not be stronger. That is why the loss of Nathan is affecting us as it is.

Nathan’s passing has left a hole in my heart that can never be filled. He is my son, with whom I am well pleased. I say “is” because to us he is still living and will always be here. I am being forced into learning to love Nathan differently. I don’t want to. However, I don’t have a choice. It is a reality.

Nathan loved and adored his mother. Their bond cannot be described. I feel her pain and the pain of his sisters every day. He was my wife’s baby. He was her protector and confidant. He always took care of his

Nathan Bradley Marti "We will be known by the tracks we leave behind... "February 23, 1982 – June 5, 2007 ~Dakota Proverb

Victim Impact Statement

mom. He would show up on a Saturday and cook us breakfast or on a day off take us to dinner. He would disappear for a weekend to Radford to spend it with friends or his Sigma Pi brothers. Nathan drove 11 hours from VA to VT to be at Adrienne’s side when complications arose in giving birth to her third child. There was nothing he would not do for his family and, as we have found out, for his friends. He had many. The beautiful smile on his face, his love for life, and his people caring characteristics drew you to him. His broad smile would light up a room and he was genuinely a friend for life upon meeting him. He cared for people and did everything he could to make you feel important. I always knew he had many friends, but I did not know until now how many people he had helped. He was very humble and never spoke of his many caring endeavors. He loved life and enjoyed it fully in the time he was on this earth.

Most days I feel emotionally saddened by the fact I have to face the world without my son. I am tired of crying every morning thinking something is wrong and there is. I am having a hard time accepting that Nathan is gone from this earth. I pray every morning that this whole thing is a dream from which I will be awakened. As Nathan’s father, I have always prided myself that I have demonstrated to my family that things can be fixed. This, I can’t. To see my wife, children, and friends in pain and struggling to go on with life is unbearable. I have gained back the weight (30 lbs.) since his death that I lost prior to his tragic incident. As administrator of his estate, I have been able work only about an hour a day on settling the estate before breaking down. Everything I touch, everywhere I look, I see Nathan. He is in every fiber of my body. I used to look forward to weekends and now I take them as they come. We have to be selective on what we plan to do because it is painful to do things we did with Nathan. I pray that in time that we can laugh and enjoy the activities we can’t do now. The holidays were always special to the Marti family. This Christmas, without Nathan, my wife and I didn’t put up any decorations, outline the house with lights, or put up a Christmas tree as we always have. We spent Christmas in Vermont with Lindsay and our oldest daughter, Adrienne and family. It just didn’t seem right. However, that is how it has to be. Our lives are changed and we have to figure out how to survive. Nathan would want us to be strong. It is easier said than done. The pain I feel is just as strong as it was the day he passed away.

Nathan’s funeral consisted of people from MA who drove all night, friends from school, Radford University/Sigma Pi fraternity, and co-workers from the Department of State. There were over 200 cars following us to the cemetery. The Department of State provided our family limousine service and an honor guard for calling hours and the funeral. We were honored to have Ambassador Richard J. Griffin, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State meet the immediate family at calling hours, speak at the funeral, and present us with several plaques and the flag that flew over the Department of State the day of Nathan’s death. Over half the people attending the funeral could not get inside to see the service; standing room only. Yes, my wife and I were very surprised at the turnout. Because of the distances involved my wife and I

Nathan Bradley Marti "We will be known by the tracks we leave behind... "February 23, 1982 – June 5, 2007 ~Dakota Proverb

Victim Impact Statement

thought the attendance would be a third of what it was. The one thing that became evident in talking to everyone was that Nathan loved everyone he knew. He never told us about some of the people he had helped, fund raisers he had organized, or the functions at which he had spoken. Nathan was always there for whomever needed him. He lived his life to the fullest. Since his graduation from college, he enjoyed paying for things himself instead of asking mom and dad for money. He was entering into a new stage of his life.

About two months after the funeral, I asked our pastor who baptized Nathan when the pain would go away. His reply was “It will never go away. You just have to learn to live with it.” Others have stated that the pain will “soften.” Well, that hasn’t started and it doesn’t feel as if things will change for quite a while. I first have to realize that it DID happen. It is going to be a challenge to learn to love Nathan differently. My wife and I prefer to call his death “a crash”, not “an accident.” There was no accident about it. As for sentencing, Nathan received the death sentence and his family and friends received a life sentence. I have put together a list of some of the things I will truly miss and things I will never get to enjoy with my son again and I titled it:

“NO MORE ……”

Going to church together Sitting at Glory Days over buffalo wings and a beer The joy we had male bonding Christmas shopping for his mom Discussing how to live with women Me saying “My Son, My Son!!!!” Paper ball fights at Christmas “Mr. Button” checking out our new car Departing hugs and saying every time we departed “I Love You” Seeing his loving smile that lit up a room Looking forward to loving his wife and children The pride of having him carrying on the “Marti” name Waiting for him to tell us that he had asked his love for her hand in marriage Waiting to see him as a father Seeing his pleasure in receiving family heirlooms Pictures of him growing older Watching the Red Sox kicking butt!!!! Joy in eating a meal that he had prepared for mom and dad Him showing up to spend time with mom and dad on his day off Spontaneous “I love you” emails that he used to send us Reading the notes he used to put in my suitcase when I would go on a trip

Nathan Bradley Marti "We will be known by the tracks we leave behind... "February 23, 1982 – June 5, 2007 ~Dakota Proverb

Victim Impact Statement

Financially, the family has had to finance almost all the expenditures to date because the defendant did not have any insurance of any kind to pay restitution. The lack of concern for human life by driving without any kind of insurance further exemplifies the defendant’s disregard for human life, let alone violating the laws of the state of Virginia. Furthermore, the defendant was driving someone else’s vehicle. The owner of the vehicle was seated in the back seat, drunk more that he was, and didn’t have any kind of auto insurance either. Without insurance or assets, we have no recourse to recoup all of the expenses incurred. Therefore, a 20 year jail sentence is viewed as the only possible cost to the defendant. If a monthly restitution to Nathan’s scholarship fund at Radford University was ordered, at least the defendant would have a constant reminder of his crime, hopefully for the rest of his life. If Nathan’s family and friends have a burden for the rest of their lives, why shouldn’t the defendant? We did not do this. He did. He should be reminded every day for the rest of his life of the heinous crime he has committed.

It is difficult to fathom how we are going to go forward without Nathan. It is a real tragedy that the world will be without him for eternity. We WILL go forward, but with heavy hearts. A piece of our family has been taken from us. Anything short of his return would never compensate for the loss we have to feel EVERY day. He was the type of man any woman would be proud to take home to mama. His mother and I will never be able to enjoy that joyous day. He was becoming quite a man, loved by everyone. Nathan had no enemies.

Yes, all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing Nathan are having a difficult time dealing with the situation as can be seen by the sheer number of impact statements you have received. There’s no way to describe the pain we’re going through or how deeply it is felt every woken hour. We do not wish that pain upon anyone. I was hoping to enjoy many more years with my beloved son, but that was not to be. It should not have happened.

May this impact statement aid you in understanding the breadth of our family’s loss. We all live by the laws of this earth and we must all be accountable for our actions. The lack of consideration for human life in this case is well illustrated by the facts. It is with the above information in your hands, we feel, that you will deliver a just and fair sentence. The defendant will never really know what he has done and will forget in time. Nathan’s family and friends can’t forget. The tracks he left (Nathan’s favorite Dakota Proverb in the footer) are too large and too deep for his family and friends to forget. Nathan was an exceptional human being who will be in the hearts of all who knew him.

Respectfully yours,

Pete MartiFather of Beloved Son, Nathan Bradley Marti

Nathan Bradley Marti "We will be known by the tracks we leave behind... "February 23, 1982 – June 5, 2007 ~Dakota Proverb