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| Prisoners offer to build garden for slain girl |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/15/2004 |
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Dozens of inmates at the Manatee County (Fla.) jail have offered to honor the memory of Carlie Brucia by building a butterfly garden at her Sarasota school. The inmates wrote a letter just days after Carlie's body was discovered in a dense brush near a Sarasota church on Feb. 6, less than a week after her Feb. 1 abduction was captured by a surveillance camera at a car wash. In the letter to their supervising officers, the 70 inmates asked to build and dedicate a tribute. "There are crimes against humanity that are distasteful even to people who have made mistakes in the past," said Robert Hagemann, principal of McIntosh Middle School. The butterfly memorial will be designed by students with the school's horticultural program. Hagemann expects the design will be ready soon. He will then give the blueprint to Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells, and will also discuss the idea with Carlie's family for their support. The Sarasota County School Board must then approve the project. If approved, about six or seven inmates and their supervising officers will travel to the school on a Saturday to construct the garden, which they will line with butterfly plants grown at the Manatee County jail. Joseph P. Smith, 37, who is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and capital sexual battery in the case, is being held in protective custody at the same jail. Hagemann expects the memorial will cost between $7,000 and $10,000 to build, which will be paid for through donations. The garden will be maintained by students, who will also use the garden for science projects and educational activities. Donations made to the Carlie Brucia fund, which currently holds about $1,200, will help with the upkeep, Hagemann said. |
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