Below is the letter I wrote in 2018 to request denial of parole.
Dear Ohio Parole Board,
Thank you for hearing us today. I believe this may be the most important letter of my life. As I sit here writing, I am frozen in fear because I understand your decision will be influenced by my words. The thought that my words will only be words to you, or another sad story is terrifying. I hope and pray that I can touch your hearts. I hope you can feel just an ounce of our pain and truly consider my request.
I hope I can figure out exactly what to say to the group of men and woman who will determine parole for the man who murdered my sister, Christina Deal.
As I contemplate what to tell you I think I should start from the day our lives changed forever…the day our lives permanently became life without a daughter, a mother, a friend, and my baby sister.
So, I will tell you about that day and how my sister’s body was left in a cold September field to die. How that field is in our hometown and when we drive pass that field we are reminded how her throat was slashed and how she had defensive wounds all over her arms. I will tell you how our tears began to wash off the makeup that covered her wounds at the funeral home. No matter how hard the funeral home tried they couldn’t hide the horror her body endured.
I will tell you how Christina tried to fight him off of her as she was raped and cut but she couldn’t. Joseph Amador already made his choice – if he couldn’t have her, he would make sure no one would.
I think about her often in that field, after the fight was over and after Joseph left her to die. She was all alone. Breathing her last breaths. Calling out to us as the blood poured out from her body. My heart breaks in a million pieces knowing we weren’t there for her at that moment and how she died all alone. Those thoughts alone are unbearable.
Christina was found a day later by a local police officer. My parents were notified. My dad called telling me to come home and my sister was gone. I knew from the screams of my mother in the background that he meant forever. My parents had to identify my sister’s lifeless body on a cold morgue table, images that will stay in their minds forever.
There was a breakup. However, as the parole committee, I ask you to NOT pair that antecedent with an act of passion.
Joseph planned to kill my sister. Christina broke the relationship off with him prior to the night she was murdered. She stayed away from him for some time afterwards. This allowed Joseph Amador time to cool down. That night she trusted him to talk and to drive her home from work because I’m sure she was scared and he said “he wanted to talk” but he had other plans. That night, he took a knife with him. This knife wasn’t something he normally kept in his car, this knife was brought so he could commit this violent act. Joseph drew violent pictures of this act beforehand. He even had the audacity to call my mother the day after he killed Christina, attempting to create an alibi by asking my mom if Christina was home, in full knowledge, she was dying in a nearby field, alone.
Surely, YOU would want to protect other woman from a man that plans to murder and attempts to cover it up.
If what Joseph did was not enough to keep him behind bars forever, then I ask you to consider the impact his actions have had on each of our lives.
My sister had a baby when she was murdered. The father wasn’t Joseph Amador. Christina didn’t start dating Joseph until after the baby was born. Her baby was only 9 months old when Joseph Amador murdered his mom. He grew up without a mother – imagine if your child had to spend every Mother’s Day at school having no one to make Mother’s Day crafts for. Imagine the loss they may feel.
Christina feared Joseph being with her son because of his anger, possessive behaviors and violent actions. She told us prior to her death she needed to keep the baby away from him. I believe her son’s life would of also been taken if he was there that night.
Her son’s life has and never will be easy. I can tell you my nephew’s struggles are because his mom was stolen and he was denied a mother by Joseph Amador.
As you can see, for 15 years, the pain of losing Christina has been consuming because of the never ending consequences of Joseph Amador’s actions.
There’s not only been consequences in Christina’s son’s life but in all of our lives…
-In my sorrow, I moved as far from my home as I could – distancing myself from the pain and family.
-My parent’s marriage almost ended, something most couples don’t get through after the loss of a child.
-TV shows and movies still come too close to reality and at times I can’t bear to watch.
-I get a lump in my throat when asked “do you have any siblings”, or when it is national sibling day, or just when I see sisters: knowing, I once had that.
-Even in happy moments there’s some sorrow because a piece of your heart is missing… do you know how that feels? How it feels even on your wedding day to have some sadness because your maid of honor is not there? How it feels when you are frustrated with your parents and the one person who you know would understand you can’t call?
I can tell you how my nephew, Christina’s son, hasn’t been able to yet talk about the death of his mother. How he shuts down when we ask him to see a psychologist. I can tell you how hypocritical I am in asking him to talk to someone when this is the most I have ever said…
Please also consider this: Joseph Amador agreed initially to plead guilty and then had the audacity to threaten to not plea guilty without a reduced sentence. This caused my grieving parents to agree to a lesser sentence in order to spare our family from a trial.
Just as that was cruel, releasing Joseph Amador when a family is still grieving would be cruel. I believe we all are still going through enough. Joseph Amador took a life from us and I believe it may take us a lifetime to heal. By God’s grace we have made it this far.
If you could feel an ounce of our pain then my words today were not only words and you would understand why I am requesting of you to deny parole- and to not only deny parole but to defer parole for the maximum time allowed in the state of Ohio.
Thank you,
Priscilla Deal Rossi
In 2018, parole was denied for 8 more years. The maximum was 10, so I knew we lost again- and decided to begin this blog to raise awareness for the 2026 parole hearing.
Note to Amador family and friends: Some of you believe he should be released, that he has “done his time” and that “it was a crime of passion”- which in some irrational, unjust minds is a nicer murder than it being a planned out murder. Some of you have tried to silence this blog by reporting it as “misleading”.
This post is for you.
Read this and let it soak into whatever IMAGINARY reality you live in.
Joseph Amador murdered my sister, he raped her, he stabbed her and cut her throat- then he left her to die in a cold field. Your son, your friend- HE did that.
I’ve heard from two previous girlfriends of Joseph Amador in the past few years. Both feel it could have been them instead of Christina, both talked about his possessive tendencies, both said he needed mental help.
You MUST have known this too as his family and friends. You MUST have been aware of his violent tendencies, his possessive personality, his temper. Deep inside YOU MUST know he shouldn’t see another free day because someone like that does NOT change.
One ex-girlfriend says Amador forced her at knife point to have sex with him. She told me how he wrote her a letter that if she told anyone, he would kill her. She was so scared of him so much so that even when he was arrested for Christina’s murder she didn’t share the letter with the police.
Amador not only planned on killing Christina, but also thought about killing others- that is the man YOU are saying should be free.
Did you know while serving his sentence in prison, he made a rap song about what he did- do you really think he is remorseful?
AFTER Christina broke up with Amador he continued to pursue her, not allowing her to leave him. He went to her job after her shift and demanded her to leave with him, he went WITH a weapon- if this is not pre-meditated then I don’t know what is. Did you know he called my parents BEFORE he went to Christina’s job and asked for her baby?! He told my parents he was going to pick up Christina from work and could take the baby with him to Christina. My parents thought this was odd since they were broken up so they did not give him her baby.
What do you think would have happened to her baby that night?
He is a murderer. He got lucky with a light sentence because of politics – which took advantage of my parent’s traumatic state, scaring them into taking a plea deal to avoid a trial so they could close the case quickly.
This blog has been read by over 10,000 people in 16 different countries… and I have 1.5 more years until parole. I will NOT be silenced and as long as there is a chance for parole I will be here fighting its denial – so step aside and allow us to seek the justice we deserve.
September 28th 