I have mixed emotions about the death penalty. What I do believe is that people like Nick should suffer far more then the family and friends of the victim. What needs to happen, is he needs to be in solitary confinement for the rest of his life. He should be in a small cell, no lights, no type of entertainment, no contact with anyone, and the minimal amount of food to keep him alive to suffer. See, I kinda feel like, altho he should get the death penalty, that is the easy way out for him. He dies - then he doesn't suffer anymore in this world. He shouldn't have the privaledge of getting off so easy. Solitary confinement in a small unlit cell for the rest of his life, would put himself in a position to remember each day why he is there.

You have my permission to use any of this e-mail as you see fit, if you wish to, on your website. My heart goes out to you. I have lost my child also, at: http://saradatana.tripod.com/angels/index.html if you would like to visit. In some ways a person could say that my daughter was murdered also. The disease she contracted that took her life, was contracted from her boyfriend, who died a few years before.

*******************************************
My response to...Discouraged and Concerned

First off I think it's really cowardly of you not to even post your name or an email for a response, what are you afraid of, the public reactions? Stands to reason you are a friend or family member of the Riley's none of them have the guts to face up to me in email, my guest books or in person.

Secondly, Nick did get away with murder, he merely got his hands slapped sent to jail to get free housing, medical, dental and an education on YOUR tax dollars. In sorts he has been rewarded for stabbing and killing my son and so has his family, he's not an expense to them now and not a headache, they don't have to be afraid of him and wonder what he's doing. Peggy didn't lose a son she can talk to him anytime she wants, see him whenever she wants, get letters from him, he's just "away" for a few years....he will get out and he will have a life again. What does Sheldon have? I am not judging her but I do know if she had been attentive to her son's problems she could have looked for professional help and maybe just maybe none of this would have happened and so many people wouldn't be hurting.

Thirdly, my actions are not negative, neither are my words....just some can't handle the truth. And just who are you to tell ME what God likes and don't like? I have a religion too but mine don't condone murder. Don't sit and tell me not to judge when in fact that is exactly what you are doing to me, you don't know me, you have no idea how I feel or what my life is about...and what makes you think I am not channeling my grief in a positive way? What makes you think I am not involved in helping others? I do think you assume way too much, when you don't know what you are talking about it really is best to keep your mouth shut.

And last but not least, I have said nothing that is not true in my website and I will NOT stop....part of the purpose of the website was to inform and educate and if I can open eyes and reach just one parent with a troubled teen or a county with a twisted judicial system and prevent this from happening to another then my son did not die in vane. The other part was a tribute to my son who was a good person, full of love for life and one who never would have hurt anyone for any reason. You doubt that, I can give you names and addresses of people that will verify my words. Your words don't hurt....it's people like you as cowardly as you are, those 12 jurors that didn't "have time" for any of this, and a Nelson County judge that encourage me to keep fighting and reaching out. Until YOU walk in MY shoes you have no right to tell me to do or not to do anything.

Debbie,
I am horrified to see what our great country call's justice!! Those people that wrote to about removing Murder from your website are, in my opinion, at the same level as the murderer himself. How can anyone with a sane mind and any kind of a heart at all ever think of that David Nicholas Riley as anything else other than a Horrible, Ghastly, Monstrous Murderer that he is!! Every parent out there should be very afraid that monster's like that ARE out there and Will do it again!
My prayer's and thought's are with you and your family. I lost my son Michael to a terrible disease, but you my friend in grief, have so much more to deal with. I hope and I pray that someday this horrible creature Will have to pay for what he did. May God bless you and your family and keep you all safe.
As for Mr. and Mrs. Riley... they should be praying that God will have mercy on their souls!!

You have my permission to print this if you so chose to.

God Bless you for what you are doing!!!

Beth
Mother to one child here on earth and on angel in heaven.
www.miraclemichael.org

I wanted to express how upset I became after reading your website. I was in tears. I couldn't understand why someone would send you an email like that let alone saying it was from "Concerned Human beings" If they are so concerned than why don't they bother the parents of Nick Riley and tell them what an inhuman and evil child they raised. I want to tell you that your sight is beautiful and it touched me. I have a little 5 year old boy and I got so upset reading this thinking about what if this happened to my child. I just can't fathom what you have felt. I am so very sorry that you had to go through this and so very sorry that the world lost such a wonderful young man. Sheldon seems like he would have been a friend to anyone and that is hard to find in people today.
I am glad that you put the page up on Nick Riley  I am glad that you have expressed your freedom of speech by telling the world just how evil he is. I am so angry that the judicial system in the country is so ass backwards. Why in the world would someone who murdered another person get less time than a drug dealer? I don't understand this? Has this country been so desensatized by all the violence on tv that murder is now considered "not so bad" since he was acting only out of jealousy. I am so scared for my child to have to grow up in a society like this. It frightens me that this Nick Riley could be out in society again. Did these ignorant jurors not see that he could hurt others?
Again I want to state how very sorry I am about the loss of your son. I want to say God Bless You and your family!
If you want to put my email on your site I give my permission.
Rachel Butler

I was sent the link to this site by my best friend, and all I have to say is you did the right thing by creating this site. I am so terribly sorry for your loss--your son sounded like an extremely good person. It's such a shame how horribly taken he was from you and all the people who loved him. And his killer is getting so little jail time. In my opinion, the justice system is a joke--I mean, come on, he kills a human being and doesn't get the death penalty or life in prison without the chance of parole, just basically a slap on the wrist. That's like saying what he did was OK when IT WAS HORRIFICALLY WRONG!!!!!When he is released he will probably go out and kill again! I applaud you for creating this site, speaking your mind, BECAUSE YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO!!!!!! Your child was taken from you in a horrible way and there is no excuse for what happened! Thank you for informing the public about this MURDERER! We should have more people like you in the world who are not afraid to speak their mind.

I wish you luck on your crusade to keep that MONSTER behind bars.

My thoughts and prayers are with you. May God bless you! And you have my permission to print this letter on your website. I am behind you all the way!

Beth G.
Cincinnati, OH

Hi Mrs. Sullivan, first of all I want to say that I am sorry for the loss of your son Sheldon.  It sounds like he was a wonderful person who would have done a lot of great things in his life.  I have a 2 year old daughter and God knows what I would want to do to anyone who hurts her.  It's a shame that there's some people who aren't concerned about the value of an innocent human life.

I think what you have done on your website is great.  Nick Riley should be labeled as a murderer.  That's what he chose to do with his life.  Just like some of us become doctors or lawyers or mothers... he chose to be a murderer.  He does not deserve to have people writing to you in his defense.  If he weren't a murderer, you would have no reason to design this beautiful memorial.

Hopefully your site will help to punish Nick Riley after he is released from jail.  I hope people recognize him and taunt him for the rest of his life.  He deserves this and much more.  I live in Pennsylvania and will probably never see him in my lifetime, but if I were to see him I would have some choice words of my own.

I'd also like to say something about the email from "Discouraged and Concerned."  I could not believe the part where they said you shouldn't judge Nick because you don't know him personally.
WHO CARES if you didn't know him.  He didn't know you either, but that didn't stop him from taking something so precious from you.  If anyone made a wrong judgment in this case, it was the judge who didn't give this MURDERER the punishment he deserves!!

Amanda Dawne Breon
Allentown, PA

Hi Mrs. Sullivan,
Feel free to add my email to your site if you still
are.
I just found and read your web site, you did a wonderful job on it. My heart and prayers goes out to you and your family.
The page on your site called " MURDER" it so great it lets people know that we don't have justice in this wonderful land of ours. a slap on the wrist wasn't enough for him, he should be in jail for "LIFE" He stalked your son and admitted doing it, he admitted messing up Sheldon's car, he admitted to stabbing
Sheldon, what else did THEY WANT, him to show them how
he did it?? He is where he belongs and he does belong
there for "LIFE".  And bring his parents in on it, does lay in their hands, they raised him, they should see how and what their son did. Sheldon might not of been the only person that this Nick hurt on account of a girl. Puppy Love hurts everybody has been through it, but to take someone's life over it isn't worth it. Nick messed up a lot of peoples life's with his actions.
My nephew was killed by his brother over here in Laurel Co, Ky. in 1991 and his brother got slapped on the hand and set free. That's NOT justices at all, he also should be behind bars for the rest of his life. Its a sick law that lets these people go, all it
comes down to is SATAN HAS TOOK OVER, AND ITS IN OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been up all night reading your site, you had a beautiful, wonderful, caring, son, Mrs. Sullivan. I don't know any of you personally, I just read your site. My heart goes out to you. If this is how you feel about letting it out your pain and hurt then so be it, everyone grieves in their own way, no body grieves the
same way.
I RECOMMEND YOU LEAVE THE "MURDER" SITE ON YOUR SITE. Its wonderful, it shows the world that you aren't afraid to show your true feeling. And you standup for what you believe in.
God Bless you and your family,
Yours forever in Jesus,
Venita
Pittsburg, Ky. 40741

I had to write you.  I've read your whole site, and cried through the whole thing. I cannot believe that Riley has actually gotten away with a cold blooded murder. I DO NOT, I repeat DO
NOT believe in crimes of passion. This was premeditated, cold blooded murder. From a young child we are all taught right from wrong. We are taught to control our anger. So as adults we are not to use physical violence as a means of communication. Riley knew exactly what he was doing. He was not a 2 year old that needs everything spelled out to him 2-3 times. He knows dammed
well why he went to that house that night. And who the hell ever heard of vandalizing a car with a knife? He knows and every one else knows why he had that knife with him that night. As for his parents, they should have been more involved in their son's life. Maybe then this would not have happen. But now it is too late. Sheldon is gone. There is no more chances for him.  And that is exactly how it should be for Riley. NO MORE CHANCES AT ANYTHING.  No friends, no sun, no mom, no dad, no smell of freshly cut grass, no sounds of birds singing in the morning, no more hugs, no more smiles. As a matter of fact no more air!!! I hate the idea of people like you taking away the
precious pieces of our lives!!!! You are disgusting! As you sit in that jail I hope you rot. You think now you got it so hard. Boo-hoo!! Well cry a river, because I don't care! You got off easy. I hope you never get a decent night sleep for the rest of your life. I hope this haunts your every waking moment.
Feel free to post this.
Wendy

Hi.  I just stumbled upon your website while looking for info on how to build a website (never done it before) memorial for my husband's best friend.  First let me say I'm sorry for the loss of your son.  I also want to applaud you for having the page exposing Sheldon's MURDERER Nick Riley.    I'm really almost speechless about those cowardly anonymous emails.  But, I am overjoyed to see the MURDERER page still up there 6 years after that email.  I wish I was eloquent enough to express the thoughts currently swirling around my head.  He is paying for his crimes?  Justice has been served?  Yeah right!  I hope that this waste of air (MURDERING Nick Riley) isn't out yet.  I hope at the very least he's made to serve every last second of that joke of a sentence.  Time off for good behavior?  Sheldon can never get time off from the death sentence Nick Riley decided to impose on him who was already demonstrating good behavior. Since Sheldon, an innocent soul, will never be able to walk the streets again,  why should his guilty scum murderer be afforded the privilege?

Beth