mike geary: Friday, September 29, 2006 鈥?Time: 10:16:27 AM EST Search our 7-day archive of stories: News Local State Editorials Letters to the Editor Obituaries Business National International For the Record Submit Your News Sports Local Sports Penn State H.S. Football Altoona Curve Steelers Sports Column Voice of the Fan Outdoors State National Life Local Community School Lunches Our Towns Calendar My Ride Recipes Announcement Forms Special Sections The Perfect Wedding Day Advertising Classifieds Real Estate Circulation Subscribe Sign Up for EZ Pay Carrier Opportunities NIE FAQ's Mirror Locator Blogs 15 Minutes At the Movies Mainly Mehno Nittany Nuggets Just Write Ya Goof!/Team EEK! Guides Tour of Homes Inside Pitch Legal Guide Restaurant Guide Coupons Services Commercial Printing Photo Reprint Request Online Extras RSS Feed Crossword Picturesque Guestbook Driving Directions Weather PA Lottery Altoona Area Road Projects Contact Us Newsroom Circulation Production Accounting About Us Affiliated Sites Grit Mother Earth News Natural Home & Garden Ogden Newspapers Ogden Directories PA Outdoor Times Mother seeks $100 million in son鈥檚 death By Phil Ray, pray@altoonamirror.com HOLLIDAYSBURG 鈥?The mother of a man killed in a triple homicide last year plans to sue the federal government for $100 million, court documents state. Sandra Miller of Altoona is the mother of Stephen Heiss, who died Aug. 28, 2005. Miguel Padilla was convicted and received death sentences this month for killing Alfred Mignogna, owner of the United Veterans Association building; Fredrick Rickabaugh Sr., UVA doorman; and Heiss, a patron. The jury wasn鈥檛 told that Padilla is an illegal alien. The civil lawsuit notice, filed by attorney Art Cohen of Hollidaysburg, blames the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allowing Padilla to remain in the United States. Padilla, 27, came to America as a young boy with his mother and brothers to escape an alcoholic father. He graduated from Penn Cambria High School but never became a U.S. citizen. He was involved in a stabbing incident in which the victim was his then-father-in-law. ICE never took Padilla into custody or attempted to deport him. U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th District, spoke of the case on the House floor, saying ICE did nothing about Padilla. Most of the money sought is for punitive damages because the government did not take any action that could have prevented the homicides. An attorney with ICE declined comment Wednesday. ICE has asked Cohen to provide it with more details concerning the Padilla case.|||This is great news....I asked a question awhile back if people thought victims of an illegal should be able to sue the Gov. the majority said yes. I wish more would start suing!! I hope she wins and I want to stay on top of this to see how it works out. OH and to answer the Q, yes it is a preventable death. Our gov. and greedy business owners have American blood on their hands, not as much as the actual perpetrator, but they do have some. Another Great post seals!! thanx for this one!! ~add on~ If a moron can sue McDonalds (for her own idiocy) AND actually friggin wins, then I am sure this mother has a case.|||yes. thats funny because a girl asked a question yesterday about whether she could sue the government for her father being killed by an illegal. i hope she sees this.|||Just put a bullet in his brain.|||I don't know if you could relagate murder to the fact that he's an illegal allien. I'm sure percentage wise the numbers are overly favoring Legal citizens as committing 99.999999% of the murders even though illegal alliens may make up 1% of the population. Yeah if he wasn't here those people wouldn't have gotten murdered. Yes he shoud've been deported. However I think that the illegal allien problem is not the cause of violent crime in the U.S. It's poverty and greed.|||Yes, and I hope she wins her lawsuit.|||All illegals should have to apply for citizenship. What they are doing is illegal, thus the name!|||If Immigration laws were actually enforced, then the death could have been prevented. I hope she wins her lawsuit, everything that she is asking for, plus another $100 million. Maybe a win in court like that will actually get the government to do their jobs and protect the boarder better.|||Shouldn't we be putting our energies into *these* preventable deaths? American Deaths: Since war began (3/19/03):2708 Iraqi civilian deaths: 43546|||Another useless death - the cop in Houston...the police officers in Houston are planning a rally in Houston at the city hall reflecting pool on Tuesday, 10/3 from 11 til 1 to drum up support for the lack of pubic safety, homeland Secutiry & law enforcement...their argument is that the don't ask, don't tell policy concerning illegals of the Houston PD is a detrement to public safety. I don't live near houston but if i did i would be there....instead I guess I'll just have to email the city of houston to show my support.....Can/Will all of you do the same? http:\\www.houstontx.gov|||Yeah another person just trying to get some easy cash.Though if she wins the courts will be overflowing with people who claim that ex convicts killed someone in their family because they didn't keep them in jail.In order for her to win she will have to prove that in reality if this person had been deported that her family member would have still been alive.And since when is Ice obligated to check the legal status if every person arrested?Perhaps if someone had reported him to Ice as being an illegal then yes they could say Ice did nothing otherwise they cannot stop every single person and ask them for legal status without at least have a strong reason for it.Like if they suspect a company is hiring illegals.Its like someone stopping you on the street and asking what your religion or sexual preference is.But yet again maybe it will work but highly doubt it.