LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Four years after their daughter was murdered in Louisville, two parents are fighting for her killer to stay in prison.
In 2016, police charged Damien Lacambra with murder after he shot and killed his wife Amelia Forsting in front of their six-week-old son. But a jury convicted Lacambra of second-degree manslaughter which holds a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
"Really, it was plain as day. It was murder, it was murder, we knew that," Jim Forsting, Amelia's father said.
Lacambra told police it was an accident. But a year in a half later, he was convicted of manslaughter and Judge McKay Chauvin made it clear the Army veteran knew exactly what he was doing.
"Mr. Lacambra pointed that gun at Amelia and he pulled the trigger,” Chauvin said in court, during Lacambra’s sentencing.
Now, Lacambra is up for parole a second time, after only spending about four years in prison. His parole hearing is Feb. 10 and Amelia's parents, Jim Forsting and Liz Short, are fighting to keep Lacambra behind bars. Even if Lacambra's parole is denied this time, he will still be released about 18 months later, barring any setbacks due to his actions in prison.
Forsting said only six years behind bars doesn't seem fit for Lacambra's actions in killing his daughter. His grandson, Luke, now almost 4-years-old, is the reason he and Stone are fighting so hard to keep Lacambra locked up.
"To make sure he's safe," Forsting said. "He's the only reason I get up every morning."
The parents said they fear what could happen if Lacambra is let out of prison.
"We don't know if he wants to come for Luke," Forsting said. "He's not safe in the community. So everyone in this community, anywhere he goes, is not safe."
That's why they're urging the Kentucky parole board to deny Lacambra's parole in two weeks. The last time he was up for parole, they gathered nearly 8,000 signatures on a petition, and also had people write letters to the board urging the board to protect the family by not letting Lacambra walk free.
"We want to stamp it the exact same way," Forsting said.
Again, the family is encouraging anyone to sign the petition, which can be found here.
They also hope people will write letters to the board to keep their daughter's killer behind bars.
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