Kent State Apology Letter Appears on TV Show

On May 4, 1970, U.S. National Guardsmen were sent to the Kent State campus in Kent, Ohio to keep the Vietnam War protesters from getting out of hand. After several hours of multiple clashes with protestors hurling rocks, the National Guardsmen opened fire on a crowd. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. Nine years later, after numerous attempts at court proceedings, a settlement was reached between the survivors, the families of the victims, and the National Guardsmen -- $675,000 to be split 13 ways plus the 28 Guardsmen were to write a "statement of regret." At the beginning of October this year, viewers of the TV show Antiques Roadshow were shocked to see this statement of regret brought in for an appraisal. The son of the judge who ruled over the case brought in the document. The appraiser estimated its worth around $10,000 to $15,000 but the larger question is, why is it in the possession of the judge rather than with the families or in an archive?