'Joy taken out of his soul'
"He was the kind of kid that, he was just very bright. ... His teachers loved him. He had lots of friends," the mother said.
The boy's father was in the Coast Guard and was stationed out of town when he met Bernagozzi. "I'm here today just to say now that we didn't recognize the abuse at the time it was happening ... the joy was taken out of his soul. Looking back now, I can see that."
The mother said she feels guilt for not recognizing it and that her son has suffered long-term effects of the abuse. She said the healing process is ongoing.
Her son will be next to speak.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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