The San Matean

Issue date: 5/27/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Robert Hood, PIO at Cañada College Anthony Giraudo

Media Credit: facebook.com Taylor Buckley

Media Credit: Alexis Terrazas Memorial of Anthony Giraudo at Woodside High School [Click to enlarge]

Campuses and communities across the peninsula are feeling the loss of Cañada College student and Redwood City resident Anthony Giraudo, who died Saturday, May 10.

Giraudo, 18 died Saturday from a severe head trauma he suffered on Friday, May 9 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, said Sergeant Willfred Williams.

Williams said Giraudo was involved in what appeared to be an argument at the park. The suspect, Taylor Buckley, allegedly threw a punch at Giraudo, who fell to the pavement and suffered severe trauma to his head. Paramedics then took him to the hospital.

Buckley was initially arrested for aggravated assualt.

After Giraudo died from his injuries on Saturday, a $1 million warrant was prepared for Buckley's arrest. Buckely turned himself in to the San Francisco Hall of Justice, and is still in custody at the sheriff's department, Williams said.

Buckley was charged with involuntary manslaughter and his bail set at $1 million, said Brenda Peralta, from the San Francisco District Attorney's office.

A judge later reduced his bail to $200,000. His charge remains at one felony account of involuntary manslaughter which has a maxiumum statutory penalty of four years and he has not yet entered a plea bargain, said Connie Chan, public spokesperson from the San Francisco District Attorney's office.

"It was just a freak accident," said CSM student Craig Sargent, a friend of Giraudo's. "One minute I'm laughing and talking to him, the next minute he's gone."

Sargent, who was with Giraudo Friday night for all but the 15 minutes while he was allegedly attacked, described him as his best friend.

Sargent knew Giraudo for about six years,and the two of them went to Junipero Serra High School for one year before they transferred to different schools.

According to Sargent, both he and Giraudo knew Buckley who went to Carlmont High School, but neither were friends with him, though they had "seen him around."

Because the investigation of the incident Friday night is stillpending, the District Attorney's office can't comment on what prompted Buckley to strike Giraudo, Chan said.

Buckley's court hearing is set for June 25 in San Francisco's Superior Court, she said.

Giraudo pitched for the Cañada baseball team, but was sitting out the year due to arm problems, said Tony Lucce, Cañada baseball coach.

"He was a good kid and we'll miss him," Lucce said, adding that the team was saddened by the loss.

Sargent said Giraudo hoped to transfer to a school where he could play baseball.

"We always wanted to go to school together," he said.

Giraudo also worked for the Redwood City Putnam Lexus Dealer detailing and washing cars and driving shuttles for the five months prior to his death.

"He was real instrumental," said James Gewett, Giraudo's manager at Putnam Lexus. "He had a lot of integrity, he was a real good employee."

Gewett also said that Giraudo possessed good leadership qualities, and others could tell by the way he carried himself that he came from a good family. "He was a great kid, it's going to be a great loss to our society."

Gewett said out of the 28 employees he supervised, Giraudo worked with 20 on a daily basis. He said Anthony's co-workers as stunned and moved by his death. "We're all really hurting with this situation," he said. "We're truly going to miss him."

Giraudo left behind many who will miss him, including older siblings, but to his parents, Sargent said, "Anthony was like their baby boy."

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