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'Weekend At Bernie's' Suspects Sentenced
Robert Young, Mark Rubinson Pleaded Guilty To Abusing A Corpse
Posted: 03/08/2012
Last Updated:
439 days ago
Two men who drove their dead friend around to several bars, and used his credit card to pay for the outing, were sentenced in separate hearings Thursday.Neither will spend more time in jail.Mark Rubinson, who pleaded guilty to abusing a corpse, was given a one-year suspended sentence and two years probation and was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.Robert Young also pleaded guilty to abusing a corpse, a misdemeanor, and to felony identity theft. He was given a two-year deferred sentence for the theft and two years probation for the abuse. He was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.Denver District Court Judge Brian Whitney could have handed Young a much harsher sentence, but didnt.The (victims) family has given you the opportunity to change yourself, Whitney told the defendant.Bless the judge, Young said while walking down the hallway after his sentencing. Bless my friend, and bless his family.In no way am I proud of the incident, Rubinson told the judge during his hearing. I cannot stress enough how sorry I am for my actions.Court documents state that Young and Rubinson found their friend, 43-year-old Jeffrey Jarrett, unresponsive at his home on Aug. 28. But instead of calling for help, they took him to a bar, left him in the back seat of the SUV, and used Jarrett's credit card to buy food and drinks.According to the arrest affidavit, once they realized Jarrett was dead, the two men took him back to his house, left his body in a bedroom, and then went out for more food and drinks before ending up at Shotgun Willies strip club, where Young withdrew $400 from an ATM using Jarrett's card.At Shotgun Willie's, they flagged down a Glendale police officer and told him they thought their friend was dead.The coroner's office said the victim had died of drug intoxication. Jarrett had alcohol, cocaine and prescription drugs in his system, according to the autopsy.The incident has been compared to the movie "Weekend At Bernie's." The film is about two friends who arrive at their boss's beachfront home for a weekend getaway to find out their boss had been killed as the result of a mob hit. The two men then cart the body around town, hoping to save the weekend of luxury they had planned and hoping they don't raise any suspicions.At the sentencing hearings, Jarretts mother, son, sister and former wife spoke, telling the judge how deeply Jarretts death has impacted them and their whole family.His son told the judge, It saddens me that my dad will never get to see my baseball games. Hell never get to see me graduate.I always believed that if someone had called 911, Jeffrey would still be with us today, his sister said.The court said it best, said Deputy District Attorney Kandace Gerdes. It was a series of bad decisions that he made.Gerdes said the plea agreements were largely a result of the Jarrett familys compassion.When asked if the sentences were too light, Gerdes replied, No, theyre not. The greatest burden they have now is ahead of them, because the (Jarrett) family has given them an opportunity to straighten up their lives and their substance abuse addictions.The judges ordered both men to undergo mental health evaluations and treatment, along with substance abuse assessment and treatment. They also have to submit to monitored sobriety with random urinalysis and Breathalyzer tests.Additionally, each man was ordered to pay $1,289 in restitution.The judges also ordered Young and Rubinson to write letters of apology to each of the family members who spoke at the sentencing hearing.
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