The grandfather who was accused of accidentally dropping his 18-month-old granddaughter from the 11th deck of Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas has changed his plea to guilty.
Salvatore “Sam” Anello agreed to a plea deal. He was charged with negligent homicide in October, alleging that he dropped his granddaughter, Chloe Wiegand, from an open window on the 11th floor of the cruise ship in July.
“This decision was an incredibly difficult one for Sam and the family, but because the plea agreement includes no jail time and no admission of facts, it was decided the plea deal is in the best interests of the family,” his attorney Michael Winkleman said in a statement obtained by CNN.
Other reports say that Anello will be sentenced to probation and he will be able to serve out his sentence from his home in Indiana.
The family's lawyer indicated the change in plea will not change his client's lawsuit against Royal Caribbean.
Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
