O'Connell belongs in prison

We're glad a visiting judge saw through the request made by an attorney representing disgraced former detective Sean O'Connell, and denied him early release from prison. Judge Patricia Cosgrove called Sean O'Connell out when she sentenced him in September 2018 to serve two years in prison, saying he lied about evidence in the investigation of Heather Bogle's murder. O'Connell provided the prosecutor false evidence against three people who had nothing to do with Bogle's death, and he harassed them as he was building his false case. He told the judge he would have provided the prosecutor a fuller picture after the trio was indicted, but that is exactly wrong, arrogant and not forgivable. The detective spoke as if he was sorry for what he'd done, but Cosgrove was right when she said he showed no remorse. He continued his show of pretense, that he was a good detective, that he was a good police officer. But he was neither. O'Connell hurt the Bogle family during the 15 months he led that investigation, misleading them and pitting some family members against others. Meanwhile, he'd been given information about Daniel Myers, Bogle's actual killer, that he ignored. His incompetence left open the very real possibility that Myers might never have been caught, and later convicted, had it not been for the Bogle family calling him out. O'Connell penned a letter to Cosgrove that was attached to his request for early release, telling her he valued family above all else. He didn't value the Bogle family, or the other families he hurt throughout his career, when he similarly failed to make arrests and failed to fully or properly investigate other crimes. The investigation of Jacob Limberios' death in 2012, and Craig Burdine's death in 2007 and the death of Lee Naus in 1999 all were similarly mishandled. He was arrogant and incompetent in all three instances, and probably many other cases before those. Rather than ask for early release, O'Connell should thank God he's not being held accountable for all of his misdeeds. He should serve out his time and never carry a weapon or hold any position of authority over anyone ever again. He disgraced the uniform and should serve out his sentence, exactly as Judge Cosgrove ordered.