Mary Jo Kopechne – 40th Anniversary of Chappaquiddick
(July 26, 1940 – July 18, 1969)
R.I.P.
Mary Jo Kopechne
Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Chappaquiddick incident which tragically took the life of 28 year old Mary Jo Kopechne. On July 18, 1969, Ms. Kopechne attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island. At approximately 11:15 pm, she left the party with Edward “Ted” Kennedy who had offered to drive her to catch the last ferry back to Edgardtown. While driving on the way back to Edgartown, Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile off a bridge, and his car landed upside down in about 8 feet of water. Although he was able to extricate himself from the wreckage, Kennedy left the scene of the accident with Mary Jo still trapped inside of the submerged vehicle. Kennedy claimed he tried to rescue his passenger numerous times, but was unsuccessful. After his failed rescue “attempts”, Kennedy reported that he swam 500 feet across the channel, back to Edgartown, where he walked back to his hotel and spent the night.
The car, along with Mary Jo’s lifeless body was discovered by two fisherman who immediately reported their find to local authorities. Ten hours later, Kennedy reported his role to the police. John Farrar, the diver who recovered Ms. Kopechne’s body testified at the initial inquest:
“Had I received a call within five to ten minutes of the accident occurring, and was able, as I was the following morning, to be at the victim’s side within twenty-five minutes of receiving the call, in such event there is a strong possibility that she would have been alive on removal from the submerged car.”
One week later, “The Swimmer ” pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended two-month sentence.
Although the liberal media will most likely neglect to report on the 40th Anniversary of this tragedy, it is worth noting that because of Kennedy’s cowardice, Ms Kopechne never had the opportunity to:
- get married;
- have and raise children of her own;
- run for political office.
The biggest tragedy of all is the fact that Edward “The Swimmer” Kennedy is now portrayed as a respected elder statesman in the United States Senate. I shall never forget he is merely a liberal coward who let a young woman drown in 8 feet of water. Unfortunately for Mary Jo, she lived in an era where regardless of the gravity of the criminal offense, those with the good fortune to possess the last name “Kennedy” were never required to pay for their crime.
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