SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — In a private chamber of the law library in the Clark County courthouse, five people are grouped around a table in the center of the room, silently watching the events unfolding on the 27-inch television set.

It's a modest room, small, and well-lit by a generous supply of sunlight through four windows.

It's here, not the courtroom gallery, that the parents of Yan "Zoe" Sun, Bing "Jo" Xue, and Jin "Jack" Bian watch the proceedings in the trial of the man accused of causing their children's deaths.

The private accommodations are conducive to the special needs of these families. They are free to talk — a privilege not permitted in the courtroom — for what is said on the witness stand is fed to them through an interpreter.

During a pause in the testimony of crash victim Jonathan Wilkerson, the interpreter summarizes what's been said on the witness stand in the last few minutes.

The corners of Sun Chunzhi's mouth curl downward, an expression of empathy as she learns of Wilkerson's back and leg injuries.

Chunzhi and her husband, Xue Yange, have come to watch the trial of Jason Skaggs, the Champaign County man accused of causing a nine-car pileup in which their daughter Bing "Jo" Xue died.

"We want him to get a good punishment," said Chunzhi.

Four heads nod in agreement. Jack's mother, Cai Tiejuan, and Zoe's mother and father, Yu Ming and Sun Shiyi explain their anxiety about the American justice system through their interpreter.

"In China, he would be punished, but here there is a chance he will get off."

'God is with you'

Visitors to the room are greeted with warm smiles, one of few departures the families take from their grief.

Although these mothers and fathers are left destitute after going into debt to pay for their children's education, they offer newcomers a share of their sugar cookies and bread.

The parents snack on dried soy melon and pumpkin seeds, a delicacy, and sip Chinese black tea from styrofoam cups.

A battery of firefighters and witnesses to the crash take the stand and the graphic nature of the testimony wears on Ming and Tiejuan.

Ming yawns and rubs her hands over her face. Her eyes are dark and tired, hair in disarray from the strain.

As a witness describes the Ford Taurus the students were in, Tiejuan bows her head and rubs the bridge of her nose. It's her son's vehicle that the witness said "didn't even look like a car."

Tiejuan is alone here. Jack's father Bian Changqi had to stay behind in China to work.

Next to her, Chunzhi pulls at a handkerchief with her petite fingers as she watches another witness testify in a language she doesn't even understand.

Another pause, and their interpreter explains that the highway patrol trooper said the scene of the accident looked like a "bomb went off without the crater."

Then another visitor comes to the room.

Jonathan Wilkerson, a man who was seriously injured in the nine car collision, embraces Tiejuan.

Wilkerson turns to Ming and she collapses in his arms. She stamps her foot and wails, "My good daughter, why did you die?"

Wilkerson holds her for several minutes, repeating the same sentence to comfort her.

"Bless you, God is with you."

Private people

Urbana University is housing the parents on campus for the duration of the trial, said Christina Bruun-Horrigan, Director of University Relations and Honors Advancement.

"We are quite certain that the families are going through a most difficult period," she said. "We at the university continue to support this healing."

A shuttle provided by the Victim Witness Services division of the Clark County Prosecutor's office takes the families to the courthouse and back each day.

Generosity from the community is in no short supply, said Debi Segrest-Adams, victim advocate.

"Some people have brought them food," she said.

The families use an average six gallons of hot water per day for beverages, said Segrest-Adams.

"They don't drink anything cold," she said. "They believe (the hot drinks) cleanses their system."

They are private people, a mark of their culture, and didn't warm up to court officials right away, said Segrest-Adams.

"Now they're more open, they'll let us hug them," she said. "They're really delightful people."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.