Much of our mail this week concerned Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson, the New Jersey teenagers accused of killing their newborn child (PEOPLE, Dec. 9). Most who wrote favor the death penalty. Our cover subject, the Duchess of York, received scant sympathy concerning her problems as a royal.
SARAH FERGUSON
Maybe Fergie should have spent less time screwing in lightbulbs and more time screwing her head on straight.
CATHERINE BUTLER, Frisco, Texas
I am getting tired of hearing about poor old Fergie and the way she was treated by the royal family. I was in charge of wardrooms on the U.S.S. Nimitz when she and Andrew came on board back in the late '80s, and I have never met anyone so stuck-up and self-centered in my life. No sympathy here.
DON SIMS, Sedro-Woolley, Wash.
AMY GROSSBERG & BRIAN PETERSON
A year ago I might have been more forgiving of Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson, but in June our son Dominick was stillborn and I would give anything to have him here with me now. No matter what the courts decide, how will these two ever be able to live with themselves?
MAURA WHITE, Portland, Ore.
"Desperate" is being 15, alone, poor and pregnant. Peterson and Grossberg had supportive and affluent families who'd provided them with enough education to think of a different way out. Desperate? Puhleeze—try self-serving, premeditated and evil.
ELIZABETH CLAUDIO, via e-mail
This reminds me of Susan Smith, and my skin just crawls. I hope both of them receive the death penalty.
PAIGE GANTT, Atlanta
If they don't get the death sentence, they should both be fixed. Amy and Brian should never get to experience the miracle of having a baby again.
AUDRA SIEWELL, Coos Bay, Ore.
I am amazed that the American public is so outraged that these two killed their infant son shortly after birth. Had they chosen to murder the boy earlier, they wouldn't be facing any charges, as America would have labeled it a "choice."
KIMBERLY GRAVES, Salem, Ind.
Prosecutors in this country do not ask for the death penalty for mass murderers, hit men, drunk drivers, drug lords or serial killers. They are allowed to prey on society again. Yet the state of Delaware would have us believe that they are protecting the public welfare by asking the death penalty for Brian Peterson and Amy Grossberg. These two children are no threat to society and should be returned to their families.
BARBARA MONTALTO
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
I am appalled that you would attempt to elicit sympathy for two spoiled rich kids who crushed the skull of a helpless newborn and then tossed its body in a Dumpster. You obviously do not have the least understanding of what constitutes "nice" or "good." It is not money, an expensive house or a college education. Good is honesty, integrity and, above all, responsibility for one's actions.
CAROLYN RAE EKSTEDT, San Francisco
While it is a terrible and tragic thing that Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson took the life of their newborn son, I don't think it's fair to hold their wealth against them. They were scared, they panicked and made a very wrong decision. I see no reason to add two more lives to the death toll of this tragedy.
RACHEL KRAMER BUSSEL
New York City
Regarding Barbara Zuchowski's comment, "How do I turn over my son to die?" Maybe she should ask her son for pointers. He didn't seem to have any problems figuring that one out.
KERI and CAROL GUNN, New York City
MARC SUMMERS
Your article on Marc Summers and his struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder has given me hope. My husband used to think I was the only person in the world who had to have every object just a certain way, my car perfectly washed every week, the fringes of the rug combed and the carpet with no footprints. Thank you for letting me know there is something I can do to change this time-consuming disability.
SHELLEY KOWALISKI, Phoenix
MAIL
Nice to see that PEOPLE, in the introduction to its Mail column, is keeping the tradition of misconstruing Shakespeare's line "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" as Juliet's inquiry into her lover's location. She is actually asking why must he be Romeo, a Montague.
NICH MARAGOS, via e-mail
To err is human. Have we got that right?—ED.
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