Michael Brodkorb > Quotes

“If I believed my victim impact statement would have had an impact on Sandy, I would have made a direct appeal to her to realize how blessed she is to have five healthy, beautiful, and strong kids. I would have asked her to get the help she desperately needs to become—to begin repairing the damage she has caused to her family, our family.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“Justice is not retribution. Justice is peace and justice is love.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“Judges must look at the living arrangements of both parents to determine if they are in line with the child’s needs.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“It was clear now, if it hadn’t been previously, that Sandra and her attorney did not concern themselves with the damage that could be done to Samantha.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“I wish I could go back in time and get Sandy the help she needs. While she is my ex-wife, she is the mother of my children. I want them to have a mother who truly loves—truly loves them, as the children should be loved by both parents. Unlike Sandy, I understand that being a parent means something—means thinking about the welfare of the children before yourself.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“A person had left a comment on Sandra’s post which asked if Samantha and Gianna had been found. In response, Sandra posted, “Read the article you will hope they never do.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“I mean—the idea that you’re going to demand a speedy omnibus before you’ve looked at the discovery to me is not something a competent lawyer would do. It was a direct shot at MacDonald.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“consider”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“if these individuals will not cooperate voluntarily, the [Dakota County Attorney] ought to avail himself of a grand jury to bring them in, put them under oath, and direct them to tell what they know, so that these girls can be brought home, and the persons responsible for their disappearance can face the consequences of their actions.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“On April 8, 2016, Samantha and Gianna had been home a little more than four months. They were just beginning to get reacquainted with their family and community when ABC’s 20/20 first aired its episode “Footprints in the Snow.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“Family court cases, and custody cases in particular, can become acrimonious because they are so emotionally charged.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“After reading my first draft of the victim impact statement I wrote, I realized that I had made a mistake. Included in my initial victim impact statement were numerous examples of how Sandy had spent years focusing solely on her selfish pursuit of destroying the family and the life we had spent building together. But the woman who appears in this courtroom today is not the same woman I married 25 years ago. Sadly, that woman is gone.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“Regardless of the sentence today, Sandy is facing a lifetime sentence of the loss of the most precious thing in life, the life with her children.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“believe that a more controlled environment of a child safety”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“left the courtroom that day with questions about Evavold’s decision to represent herself. I may have the right to perform brain surgery on myself, but it wouldn’t be the smartest decision.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone

“He has come to this decision at the age of twenty. The things she has done to him, to his family, they are so horrible, so irreparable that he cannot imagine a true mother would do this to her own family. It’s just not possible.”
― Michael Brodkorb, The Girls Are Gone