2019 closes with the final chapter of some of Butler County’s worst news stories from the past year.

In October, Ishemer Ramsey was found guilty of the cruel and vicious murder of Melissa Barto. The apparent motive being his inability to totally control her life and make her subservient to him. He decided her fate based on his selfish desires and used his physical dominance to end her life and change the lives of her family and, especially, her young child forever.

For his actions, Butler County Judge William Schaffer sentenced him to life in prison and he now resides within the Pennsylvania State Prison System until the day his miserable life ends.

Just as the year was about to close, District Attorney Richard Goldinger and Chief Public Defender Kevin Flaherty were able to reach agreement with the family of Bentley Miller and his killer, Keith Jordan Lambing, on an acceptable sentence for Lambing’s responsibility in the death of the 4-year-old in 2017.

The case was one of the saddest ever reported in Butler County and included details that were too gruesome for any type of respectable, in-depth reporting. Lambing certainly wasn’t the only bad actor in the case, but the prosecutors had to use strong judgment and careful consideration to Bentley’s family in reaching the conclusion of this case.

Even in announcing the agreement, assistant DA Terri Schultz stressed that the terms were approved by Bentley’s father before the announcement was made. Public Defender Charles Nedz had a most difficult role to fill in this case and was able to lead his client into a good decision.

There is a good argument that the DA could have gotten a life sentence for Lambing, but that would have meant dragging out all the horrendous details and that would serve almost no other purpose than more suffering for the family. We understand and agree that these considerations were necessary.

One of the blessings of having experienced people in the positions that Goldinger and Flaherty hold is their ability to see the whole picture and not get blinded by the public outcry for mob justice. Even in a case as ugly and disgusting as this, Butler County, the victim and the families were well served.

Hopefully, 2020 will not bring more violence and crime to our neighborhoods. As we put these cases and 2019 to rest, let us hope for a safer and more caring Butler County and for our court system to have far fewer cases of this sort to handle.