Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A young man who struck and killed a beloved Bensalem High School student was sentenced Monday morning.
Michael Shelly, 19, a former student at Bristol Township’s Bucks County Technical High School, was sentenced to 11.5 to 23 months in prison and five years probation for the death of Bensalem High School sophomore 16-year-old Minete Zeka, according to 6abc.com. The news station also reported Shelly will have to contribute funds to a scholarship set up in Zeka’s name.
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Shelly was behind the wheel of a 1984 Ford Bronco II at the intersection of Bensalem Boulevard and Bridgewater Road in Bensalem shortly after sunrise on the morning of December 17, 2014. Shelly had trouble seeing out of the windshield, which led to him striking and killing Zeka, police said.
Shelly was convicted of vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter earlier this year after a trial.
Authorities said Shelly struck Zeka as she crossed the road while a school bus sat stationary nearby with its stop arms and lights activated. Court papers say Shelly told responding police, “I think I killed her.”
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Responding officers said the Bronco’s windshield was covered in condensation. While speaking with police, Shelly said the defroster on the older SUV was not working and he was only able to see out of small portion of the windshield, according to court papers.
Credit: Submitted
“I had basically tunnel vision,” Shelly reportedly told police.
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Shelly’s attorney Louis Busico called the teen’s death “a horrific accident, not a crime,” the Associated Press reported earlier this year.
“If there’s anything we can do to drive that point home, and maybe some kids learn from this and we avoid this kind of thing in the future, that would be great,” Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Long told CBSPhilly.com.
The crash happened on the same street where Bucks County Technical High School student Ryan Viola, 17, was struck as he crossed Bensalem Boulevard at Portside Drive in Fall 2012. No charges were filed in that case because the driver of the striking vehicle had a green light.
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Friends of Zeka stood outside the district court in Bensalem in January when Shelly was arraigned on charges related to the accident. The group silently watched as the 19-year-old was walked into the courthouse in handcuffs.
