Man accused in granddaughter’s cruise ship death makes plea deal; no jail time
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP/CNN) — An Indiana man accused of dropping his granddaughter from an 11th floor window of a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico has accepted a plea deal that means he will serve no time in jail, according to an attorney for the family.
Salvatore Anello, who is charged with negligent homicide in the death of 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand. On Monday, he declined his right to a jury trial. And on Tuesday, his attorney filed a change of plea on his behalf.
The date of the hearing, which had been expected in April, is not yet determined.
Michael Winkleman, who represents the girl’s family, on Tuesday released this statement:
“This decision was an incredibly difficult one for Sam and the family, but because the plea agreement includes no jail time and no admission of facts, it was decided the plea deal is in the best interests of the family so that they can close this horrible chapter and turn their focus to mourning Chloe and fighting for cruise passenger safety by raising awareness about the need for all common carriers to adhere to window fall prevention laws designed to protect children from falling from windows.”
CNN has learned Anello will serve probation in Indiana.
The death occurred in July 2019 as the girl from Granger, Indiana, vacationed with her family aboard the Freedom of the Seas of Royal Caribbean Cruises. Anello has said he did not know the window was open when he lifted Chloe to it so she could bang on the glass.
Wiegand’s family has sued the cruise ship company, accusing it of negligence by allowing the window in the ship’s children’s play area to be open.
“This doesn’t have any impact on the lawsuit against Royal Caribbean. We still maintain this was a tragic, preventable accident that never would have occurred if Royal Caribbean followed the industry-standard window fall prevention codes that are designed for the singular purpose of preventing children from falling out of windows,” Winkleman continued in a statement.