EDITORIAL

It’s over, but it isn’t.

On Thursday, a jury found Eric Bechler guilty of murdering his wife,

Pegye, more than three years ago.

The decision was the conclusion to months of trial delays, weeks of

proceedings and seven final, excruciating days of waiting for the jury to

make its decision.

With the verdict, a story that started as a fairy tale wedding in a

German castle ended as a horror story on a rented speedboat.

Now, if it were only all over.

Bechler’s defense attorney has already said he will file an appeal, as

is his right. But in doing what is best for Bechler, attorney John

Barnett is hurting the remaining victims in this case: Pegye’s family --

her mother, brother, sisters, and her three children.

The appeal will delay any chance that Pegye’s body will be found -- if

it is even recoverable and not lost under the water, where Bechler has

told people he tossed her. The person, or people, who know the truth are

not going to say anything different than what has already been said.

When the verdict was read, Pegye’s mother, June Marshall, bent her

head down and wept. But it is impossible to believe they were tears of

relief. Because until Pegye’s body is found, or her family knows for

certain what happened to her and where she is, they will not have any

peace.

How could they?