The mother of a man accused of sexually abusing 10 boys tearfully apologized for sending threatening messages on Facebook to the mother of one of those boys as she pleaded guilty to witness intimidation Tuesday.
“I am very, very remorseful, I apologize for my actions,” Louise Martino said in Salem Superior Court. “I let my emotions come over me and I was grieving for my son and family.”
Martino is the mother of Christopher Prew, a former youth hockey coach from Winthrop who has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of sexual abuse and who remains behind bars awaiting trial. In court, prosecutors read aloud Facebook messages she sent to the mother of one of Prew’s alleged victims.
“We have some pretty graphic photos of you along with some sick verbiage that would not put you in the mother of the year category,” read prosecutor Kate MacDougal. “Think it over long and hard because you have no idea what you’re dealing with, this is not a threat.”
Martino said she wishes she had a do-over.
“I tarnished my reputation and my family’s good name,” Martino said. “I wish I could go back to that night and do everything differently but I can’t.”
Judge Jeffrey Karp gave Martino a six-month suspended sentence and ordered that she have no contact with the victim, a ruling he called “extremely generous.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)