Who is Salvatore Anello? Chloe Wiegand's granddad 'relieved' as he avoids jail over toddler's cruise ship death
A grandfather has been spared jail after he dropped his 18-month-old granddaughter from a cruise ship window. A court in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sentenced Salvatore Anello, 52, to three years probation after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in October 2020, The Sun reported. Michael Winkelman, his attorney, said Anello has been allowed to serve his probation in his home state of Indiana for his role in the tragic death of his granddaughter. The sentencing was part of a plea deal he accepted to serve no jail time after previously pleading not guilty to negligent homicide.
Chloe Wiegand, 1, fell 150 feet to her death after Anello placed her on a ledge on the 11th floor of the Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Freedom of the Seas ship in July 2019. The toddler died instantly after falling from the window ledge that Anello believed was covered by a piece of glass.
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Anello has maintained he placed little Chloe there to knock on the glass as she enjoyed doing at her brother's hockey games, and that he had no idea the window was open. Alan and Kimberly Wiegand, Chloe's parents, have launched a legal claim for negligence against Royal Caribbean -- arguing that an open window should not have been so close to a children's play area. On February 3, a judge ruled that the cruise line can be sued by the family for unlimited damages. "Royal Caribbean has demonstrably lied to this court and, in so doing, Royal Caribbean has created a false narrative to accompany Royal Caribbean's carefully selected CCTV video upon which Royal Caribbean bases its motion to dismiss," a filing by the family read.
Royal Caribbean, however, claims there was "no hidden danger" and that Anello "knew the window was open." According to court records, the company has claimed Anello could have used his "basic senses" to realize the same and that the grandfather is allegedly seen in surveillance footage leaning through the open window shortly before he lifted his granddaughter onto the ledge. However, Royal Caribbean's motion to dismiss the case was denied by US District Judge Donald L. Graham, according to The Sun.
Chloe's parents have dismissed allegations made by the cruise line saying it was "physically impossible" for Anello to lean out of the 11th-floor window. The devastated couple has remained supportive of Anello during the court proceedings. According to The Sun, the family was so distraught after Chloe's demise that they had to be sedated by medics. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean has maintained that tinted handles on their windows would have easily indicated that it was open. But Anello has claimed he is colorblind and therefore did not realize the window was open.
In December 2019, Anello rejected a plea deal after pleading not guilty earlier that year. However, in February 2020, he wrote an emotional letter saying that he would do what was necessary in order to put an end to the family's misery. He then filed documents that month to change his plea to guilty. In a statement, Anello had said, "I took a plea deal to try to help end part of this nightmare for my family, if possible. The support they continue to give me has been beyond overwhelming and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for them."
He said on Monday: '[I feel] relief that I will serve no jail time and that I did not have to admit any facts. Relief for my family so that we can close this chapter and move on together. I feel angry at Royal Caribbean because it is clear that these windows never should have been allowed to have been opened in the first place. I always thought this was a wall of glass. There was no indication to me that some of the glass panels in this wall of glass could even open. I decided not to contest these charges, even though I know I committed no crime, because I would not have to admit any facts or suffer any significant penalty. It was a choice of focusing our resources and deciding the best path to tell Chloe's story and devote our family's energy was in the civil case. I miss you so much Chloe."