News

Women sentenced in connection with Lyford death

Posted on May 01, 2009, at 10:11 a.m.

Two women were sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to charges related to the recent death of University of Maine student Dylan Lyford.

Tania Riegelman – 20 years old – and Rebecca Kosciszka – 19 years old – were sentenced to each pay a $1,000 fine, and Riegelman must have a substance abuse evaluation within 90 days, according to the district attorney’s office. Riegelman and Kosciszka pleaded guilty Thursday to furnishing a place for minors to drink alcohol, according to Penobscot County District Attorney Christopher Almy.

The two held a party Feb. 15 on Stillwater Avenue in Old Town. Lyford, who was 19 years old, was found unconscious the following morning with a fractured skull. He was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center by ambulance where he was pronounced dead.

The DA’s office recommended 48 hours of jail time and community service in addition to the $1,000 fine, and based its recommendation on the seriousness of the situation, contact with Lyford’s family and the “cooperation that both the defendants gave to police after the incident happened.”

Almy advised students to think about the consequences of similar parties. “That was a pretty free-wheeling wide-open alcohol party,” Almy said. “There are dangers to it. … If they get caught they are risking their careers.”

Tionna Baldwin, a UMaine student and friend of Lyford, responded to the plea via e-mail. “I went to high school with Tania Riegelman, and she and I have been friends, and while I cannot blame her for Dylan’s death, I’m glad that they plead guilty, because I do feel that there was something that could have been done, that clearly wasn’t. I hope that the courts don’t give them the maximum punishment because I know how hard it was for them to deal with [Lyford's death] just as any of the rest of us, but having closure to this and knowing there was a repercussion for the actions of that night is relieving and does help the grieving process. I wish them both the best and my regards still go out to the family. Even after four months he is still missed and thought of every day,” Baldwin said in an e-mail.