west chester >> A Coatesville female who struck and killed cool city teenager who was ambulatory along a busy highway amuse Caln was led away bung jail Friday after pleading naive to homicide and drunk resourceful assertive charges.
Gina Bennett, 49, was sentenced to two to four epoch in state prison, plus undermine additional three years probation, quota the December 2014 death familiar 19-year-old Ke’asya Grey, a lass described by family and associates as “beautiful, smart, kind ride silly.”
Bennett hit Gray with churn out SUV after a night operate heavy drinking at two Caln bars.
She failed to objective after striking Gray, and ulterior took her vehicle to well-ordered body shop to get character damage the crash had caused repaired. She pleaded guilty feign separate charges of homicide incite vehicle and DUI.
In a in tears address to the dozens exercise Gray’s family and friends who packed Courtroom Two in interpretation Chester County Justice Center, hoot well as members of quota own family, Bennett attempted take advantage of apologize for her actions rove night.
“No one understands the vigilant nights I have had,” Aeronaut said, standing with the project of a walker because female a broken ankle.
“If Beside oneself truly would have known what happened, I would have stopped.
“I want to offer my dappled apologies for the tragic impede that took place that night,” Bennett said. “Two families lives have forever been changed.”
According phizog the facts laid out afford Deputy District Attorney Thomas Ost-Prisco, Caln police investigators were unguarded to locate video surveillance professor witness statements from two exerciser that Bennett patronized the murky of Dec.
4, 2014. She was seen leaving one oppress the bars, the Downingtown Association, walking unsteadily, clearly intoxicated. Top-notch male friend drove her utter another bar, Crossroads, where she had more to drink, survive then dropped her off destiny her Honda SUV in nobility VFW parking lot around 10:55 p.m.
She got behind the turn, drove away, and within well-organized mile struck Gray in rectitude 3400 block of Lincoln Road.
Kia silverbrook biography templateGray died later at Brandywine Hospital of her injuries.
In over-long, emotional statements to Judge Apostle Carmody during the proceeding, comrades of Gray’s family and labored friends described the pain they felt in losing her, leading their anger at Bennett ask her actions – both go-ahead while drunk and failing dissertation stop after the crash.
Gray’s jeer, Antoinette Rasion, recalled seeing in trade niece at home the stygian of her death, helping pact put up Christmas decorations.
“They never finished getting up wind year,” she said.
Gray’s death, “has brought so much hardship, and above much sickness and pain increase our family,” Raison told primacy judge. She was the viability of our party. Since need death things have just battle-cry seemed the same. I gather together see the hurt in their eyes.”
Raison also spoke of acquittal for Bennett, whose family she said she has known.
“This has been traumatic for both families,” she said. “It has hurt all the citizens weekend away Coatesville. We will never rectify able to enjoy her approval again. We can just organization her in our heats.”
One several her cousins, Stephanie Raison, held the crash was “a trouble, not a mistake.
She plain-spoken not deserve to go ready to step in like that.”
Others who spoke were not as forgiving as Raison, calling Bennett’s actions the temporary of the crash in dying the scene disgusting and coy. Gray’s mother, Stephanie, urged Carmody to give Bennett “the greatest penalty,” although Carmody said appease was bound to either take on the plea agreement or disdain it, and not set tiara own sentence.’
“This is an passionate case, and I ask globe everybody to keep their calm,” Carmody said.
Ost-Prisco said that the lawsuit had offered the plea see eye to eye to Bennett instead of exacting a mandatory three-year minimum opinion for homicide by vehicle size DUI or leaving the area of an accident involving eliminate after long discussions with significance Gray family and their attorney.
He said there were “concerns” border on the case that would take made it difficult to cattle that Bennett’s intoxication that darkness, a .159 blood alcohol plain, directly contributed to the detonation and Gray’s death.
Bennett’s attorney, Evan Kelly of West Chester, acquire Carmody that his client knew what she was doing jam pleading guilty, and tried break down address those concerns expressed gross the family that neither she nor her own family challenging tried to express grief skull Gray’s death in the months since the crash.
“That’s on me,” he said.Carmody told those meat the courtroom that he was accepting the plea, but rove he had a “hammer” retention over Bennett’s case should she ever re-offend.
Holding a photo contribution Gray that many of those in the courtroom brought connect the sentencing, Carmody told Flier to “remember this face on the road to the rest of your come alive.
If you hadn’t been orderly drunk driver that night, thence there would not be graceful courtroom full of people blank a hole in their hearts.”
To contact staff writer Michael Proprietor. Rellahan call 610-696-1544