WASHINGTON — The mother of a University of Maryland student, who died months after being sucker punched outside a College Park bar is speaking out about a judge’s decision that will make it easier for the man who hit her son to get a job.
“I just think it’s a despicable decision,” said Nicola Bridges of San Diego, California, who is the mother of 21-year-old Jack Godfrey.
Bridges is upset at Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Albert Northrop’s decision to vacate a conviction against the man who hit her son, which would allow the man to pursue a career in accounting.
“My feeling is, my son will never have a job, he’ll never have a life, he’ll never have a wife, he’ll never have grandchildren,” Bridges said.
In March 2013, 24-year-old Arasp Biparva, who was also a U. Md. student, punched Godfrey outside a College Park bar. Prosecutors said the hit, caused Godfrey to fall and hit his head on the roadway which resulted in serious injuries to the brain and skull.
Godfrey had mostly recovered from his injuries when in November of 2014 he died suddenly in his sleep. An autopsy found that Godfrey died from a seizure, head injuries and aseptic meningitis, which were a result of the 2013 incident.
Before Godfrey’s death, Biparva plead guilty to 2nd degree assault in October 2013. After Godfrey’s death, Biparva pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced in April. He received probation in both cases.
In May, Biparva’s Attorney Barry Helfand filed a motion asking the judge to grant probation before judgment, which would essentially make it appear as if the manslaughter conviction never happened. In court documents, Helfand said the conviction prevented Biparva from obtaining certifications he needed to become an accountant.
In September, Judge Northrop granted the motion, which gives Biparva the ability to not check the box about a criminal past, on application forms.
“This is something that we opposed because we felt that in this case, where you have someone who actually lost their life as a result of Mr. Biparva’s action, that the conviction should stay with him for the rest of his life,” said John Erzen with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
WTOP reached out to Biparva’s attorneys but didn’t receive a response.
After his three years of probation in the manslaughter case is up, Biparva will then be able to apply to have his record completely expunged.
Bridges now runs a donation funded special needs activity center known as the Capability Ranch in her son’s memory. She said she fears the judge’s decision sends the wrong message to young people.
“They can be violent and they can potentially cause someone to die and that’s OK, it can disappear — and that’s not right,” Bridges said.
