- Salvatore Anello was sentenced to three years of probation in the
death of his granddaughter. - His granddaughter Chloe Wiegand fell to her death from a
cruise ship in 2019. - Anello was charged with negligent homicide in his granddaughter's death.
The grandfather of an 18-month-old toddler who fell to her death from the 11th floor of a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship has been sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to negligent homicide, Puerto Rican authorities announced Monday.
Salvatore Anello's granddaughter Chloe Wiegand died in July 2019, after falling out of a window on a
Anello had hoisted his granddaughter up onto a railing in front of a wall of windows in a play area on the ship, believing there was glass in front of her. Instead, she slipped from his hands and fell to her death from the open window.
Wiegand's parents did not press charges against Anello, but the ship was docked in Puerto Rico at the time of the incident, and prosecutors on the island still opted to charge him criminally, alleging in a statement that he "negligently held a minor out an 11th floor window."
The family sued Royal Caribbean in December 2019, alleging that the ship company had been negligent in leaving the window open - the toddler's family believes she fell while trying to lean into the glass as she had previously done at her brother's hockey games.
In a statement to CNN after his sentencing, Anello said he "committed no crime," but agreed to plead guilty so his family could focus on its lawsuit against Royal Caribbean.
"After this sentencing, I feel a mixture of anger and relief. 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," he said.
Anello will serve his sentence in Michigan, where he lives.