Posted on 07/01/2004 7:56:50 PM PDT by cgk
It doesn't seem like 17 years have passed since Joel Steinberg was convicted of killing little Lisa, his 6-year-old illegally adopted daughter. Steinberg, the once prominent New York attorney, is scheduled for release next June after serving two thirds of his prison sentence, his maximum term under New York State law.
Back in 1987 the Steinberg case shocked the nation. It isn't every day that a well-to-do Manhattan attorney is accused of torturing his entire family for perhaps years, eventually leading to the murder of his daughter. It was society's first realization that child abuse resulting in death can happen in any social class—no one is above suspicion.
So what plans does the child killer have once released? Perhaps lead a quiet life out of the public eye? Maybe try to work as some type of an advisor to help abused children? Try to show society that he is a changed man? Not a chance! Steinberg signed on as a television field producer for an upcoming show called New York Confidential. The hour-long gossip show will cover scandals, according to James Edstrom, the show's spokesman.
Now some of you out there might be rolling your eyes, saying that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, wondering how I could take Steinberg and his producers to task, in a column I was originally hired to write because of my notoriety.
Here's the difference. Steinberg killed a child. Steinberg was abusing his wife and his children, who were helpless under his control. He beat them brutally and repeatedly. His common-law wife, Hedda Nussbaum, still bears the scars of his abuse. Steinberg remains unrepentant. I went back to school to make something of my life, so writing for a newspaper was a field I had been working toward. I have also made it my mission to help other teens at risk and to work on any cause that keeps kids away from guns. I am hoping to use my notoriety to help people. I am a 29-year-old woman now, a completely different person than the manipulated, screwed-up 16-year-old who committed an impulsive, unthinkable crime. Steinberg is the same scum he always was.
So what qualifies Steinberg, the former attorney turned child killer, for his new position? Well, he happened to be in prison with some of New York's most notorious criminals.
According to Darnay Hoffman, who is general counsel for the show: "[Steinberg] has contacts in prison...he knows how to get into a prison and get a story." I happened to be in prison with some very infamous criminals as well, that doesn't mean they are my friends, that they would agree to be interviewed or that the prison would even allow me in. I wonder if this cable show realizes that Steinberg will not be granted access to any inmate behind bars once he is released. He will have to follow strict guidelines imposed by the division of parole. I'd like to see how Steinberg plans to skirt around the strict policy imposed by the Department of Corrections. Besides, it's doubtful any of these so-called notorious inmates would even give Steinberg the time of day. Child killers are frowned upon among inmates.
This cable show has either not done its homework or is simply trying to use Joel Steinberg's name to attract publicity. According to Edstrom, Steinberg will only be paid $250 a week. Steinberg, who told the parole board he has a substantial income from a pension, obviously didn't take this position for the money. Since a condition of Steinberg's parole will be to maintain employment, it is safe to assume this is the reason he took this job.
Perhaps Hoffman has the foresight to realize the first interview with Joel Steinberg is going to command a lot of money. I mean, everyone knows you get more bees with honey, right? Being sympathetic to Steinberg, offering him a job and then moving in for the kill, so to speak, has to have crossed the minds of the creators of New York Confidential. Steinberg may be a despicable human being. but you can bet your bottom dollar that every major network will be vying for his first words. We may not forgive him, many hate him, but we all want to hear what he has to say and the networks know it.
Joel Steinberg has never taken responsibility for killing Lisa. He has never said he was sorry or that he is a changed man. He maintains his conviction was based solely on his failure to obtain medical attention for Lisa. He refuses to acknowledge the horrific nature of his crimes.
It will be interesting to see how society receives Steinberg. Ultimately he will be judged by a society that he will be forced to live among, but as I have learned all too well, people will make him pay for his crimes for the rest of his life. Chances are, Joel Steinberg will be a pariah among us.
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You can e-mail your questions to Amy at AmyFisher@LongIslandPress.com or you can write her at: Amy Fisher, Long Island Press, 1103 Stewart Ave., Garden City, NY 11530. |
this article, written by a person who tried to blow some woman's head off.
Hey, don't be such a stiff. If the Long Island Press can just sell a paper to one percent of the Amy Fisher wannabees on Long Island, NYC, and Southern Connecticut, they'll stay in the black.
(steely)
And John Kerry served in Vietnam. Move on.
they don't sell any papers, they are all free.
Steinberg signed on as a television field producer for an upcoming show called New York Confidential. The hour-long gossip show will cover scandals, according to James Edstrom, the show's spokesman.
I sincerely hope the people of NY will boycott all involved, including ad subscribers. This evil man should have gotten the death penalty. O'Reilly said he believed in evil, but couldn't put a face on it until he interviewed Steinberg.
bonus question:
how do you spell Buttafoooko?
Nothing teaches ya up faster about killing than shooting a woman in the face point-blank....
I shoulda known.
(steely)
It' a big-time law firm on Long Island, if I'm not mistaken.
Of course, you could always pronounce it in proper English.
Butt-a-foo-oko.
law firm? he owned and operated an auto body shop.
Put this baby to bed, it's over and done with. As Yogi would say, it's not over until dat bum Gerard Perry falls asleep. Have a nice sleep folks. And keep Mickey Mantle in your memories for all of us "Bronx Bomber" old-timers out there!
Trust me, none of those attorneys would want to be associated with that freak-show who was Amy Fisher's old flame.
If she hadn't copped a plea, she would have probably been in the same boat as her repugnant ex-husband.
Fisher has writing skills that fall far short of professional standards. She's also wrong about Steinberg having been a "prominent attorney." He was a step up from an ambulance chaser and wasn't prominent or even particularly successful.
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