Trial over death of Lt. Allen to be telecast to West Point

West Point, N.Y. - A live feed of the trial of First Lt. Louis Allen’s accused killer will be broadcast at the United States Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, N.Y., announced Wednesday. Hall wrote to the Judge Advocate General, Major General Scott C. Black, in April, requesting a live video feed of the hearings be available at West Point so the family could watch the trial. Lt. Allen’s family, Hall added in his press release, has “already been through more than one family should have to endure. Providing Lt. Allen’s family with access to the trial in whatever form is easiest for them is the least that can be done. They deserve to be able to watch the trial reasonably close to home, and West Point is a good place for that.” On June 8, 2005, Allen and Captain Philip Esposito were slain in an incident near Tikrit, Iraq. Their accused killer, Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez, is awaiting trial in Fort Bragg, N.C,, with proceedings expected to begin soon. “My family is absolutely thrilled that not only will this relieve the financial burden of traveling to North Carolina, but each night we will now be able to return to our homes and be with our family after we listen to devastating testimony every day instead of going back to an empty hotel room,” said Laurene Sandstrom of Goshen, Allen’s sister. “It is not feasible for Lt. Allen’s family, residents of my congressional district in New York State, to regularly attend court hearings in Fort Bragg without a significant disturbance to their daily lives.” Allen, a Chester, N.Y. native, lived in Milford. He was a Chester High School graduate and a teacher at John S. Burke High School in Goshen, N.Y. Most recently, he was a physics teacher at George F. Baker High School in Tuxedo, N.Y.