Zeal Cumsky

1983 Killing 
New Proof Leads To Mother's Guilty Plea 
Judith Ann Fuller Pleads Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter As Trooper Finds
Her Story Does Not Jive With Crime-scene Pictures.

By MICHAEL McNARNEY mmcnarney@leader.net
 Wednesday, February 12, 2003 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE - Old Navy. A movie theater. Patched potholes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a month when adults are posturing and pontificating and plotting the
political future of Wilkes-Barre, the Times Leader unscientifically surveyed
the political opinions of a handful of young people who go to school in
Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; None are huge fans of Mayor Tom McGroarty, but none spoke up in favor of
Tom Leighton - or anyone else running for mayor - either. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, in the end, it may not matter who the favored candidate is. For no one
interviewed planned to live in Wilkes-Barre after high school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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 Boscov's, the cornerstone of the downtown shopping scene, doesn't hold much
attraction for freshly-minted teenagers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When was the last time you were in the store, five Wilkes-Barre Academy
eighth-graders were asked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I can't even remember,'' 14-year-old Mary Hirther of South Wilkes-Barre
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Years ago,'' East Ender D.J. Sadvary, 13, said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``My mom buys tablecloths there,'' Heights teen Sarah Hankey, 13, said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the five, the notion of downtown as a shopping destination is a foggy
notion that predates their births. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``My parents say it used to be a lot nicer,'' Hankey said. ``It used to be
decorated more and more people would hang out there.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They shop at the Arena Hub Plaza, Wyoming Valley Mall and even at the Mall
at Steamtown in Scranton. It's at the mall, not downtown, where they see
friends and socialize. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 None of the five come to the `old' downtown for anything more than parades,
Halloween, a visit to the dentist or activities at the Catholic Youth Center
or YMCA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Most buildings you drive by are abandoned,'' 14-year-old Jessica Kinney,
a North Ender, said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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 The scene in front of the Martz Building on Public Square couldn't be more
different than the quiet library at Wilkes-Barre Academy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coughlin High School students huddle in doorways, smoking cigarettes and
cracking jokes. They're black and white, pierced and braided, dyed and jaded. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I think he's lazy,'' 16-year-old Lefagous White says of Mayor Tom
McGroarty. ``He doesn't do anything.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 White is a sophomore at Coughlin and lives in the Parsons section. He said
he'd clean up the square and build some youth-friendly activity - a pool hall,
for example. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Look at all the homeless and dirty people walking around!'' White said,
gesturing to the unshoveled park area of Public Square. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Does White plan on staying in Wilkes-Barre after graduation? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Oh, no. I'm out of here, dawg,'' White said. ``I would die if I stayed
here longer.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His friend Michelle Sheridan, also a 15-year-old sophomore from Parsons,
doesn't plan on staying around either. She is aiming for college in
Philadelphia. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But for a couple more years, at least, she'll call Wilkes-Barre home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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 The Wilkes-Barre Academy students are all years from graduation, college,
work and kids of their own. But the idea that they'll one day have jobs and
families has already occurred to them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But not in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Some people don't care what people think. They don't care how they
live,'' Mary Hirthler said, talking about the abandoned and dilapidated homes
and buildings in the city. ``No one wants to live here. That's the problem.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The students in Jennifer Yale's literature class, say they try to be
optimistic about the city's future. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But what if conditions don't improve? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I don't think Wilkes-Barre is even going to be a city any more,''
Hirthler said. ``People are going to move out of it.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Michael McNarney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7305. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Youth Feeling Hopeless About W-b, Downtown