By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-25 20:20:51 | Updated at 2024-10-25 22:28:06
2 hours ago
A Texas drunk driver convicted in a deadly hit-and-run that killed a cop as he directed traffic broke down and wept as she was sentenced to 43 years in prison.
Lavillia Spry, 43, erupted into floods of tears as she was sentenced on Thursday over the death of Harris County Sheriff's Office sergeant Ramon Gutierrez, 45, in a crash almost three years ago.
She was drunk when she drove around emergency vehicles and rammed into Gutierrez as he stood on a road escorting traffic, before fleeing the scene.
Tributes poured in for Gutierrez, a father-of-three, with his loved ones describing him as an 'amazing man' during victim impact statements read in front of Spry before she began her sentence.
Lavillia Spry, 43, seen during her trial, was sentenced to 43 years in prison this week for the fatal hit and run of a cop almost three years ago
Spry was intoxicated when she struck and killed Harris County Sheriff's Office sergeant Ramon Gutierrez, 45, a father of three, in a horror crash
At the conclusion of her trial, Spry was convicted by a jury after just 15 minutes of deliberation on charges of intoxication manslaughter.
The crash came on the evening of January 24, 2022, when Gutierrez was working an off-duty motorcycle job to escort a heavy load on a roadway. He had reportedly been working extra jobs at the time to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding.
Gutierrez was off his motorcycle at the time and was standing wearing a reflective jacket and flashlight, with emergency vehicles stationed nearby.
Spry - who had given birth just one month before the incident - drove around the emergency vehicles and accelerated into the sergeant, dragging him for a short distance.
Officials said she continued driving and fled the scene before she was stopped and arrested shortly after by an officer who followed her.
Arresting officers said she appeared impaired and attempted to resist arrest when she was taken into custody.
Spry, seen in her mugshot, had given birth just one month before the fatal collision in January 2022, and attempted to flee the scene and resist arrest after striking Gutierrez
Gutierrez was working an off-duty job escorting a heavy load on the road when Spry drunkenly rounded emergency vehicles and hit him, dragging him across the road
Gutierrez was airlifted to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He had served with the HCSO for 13 years, and was described by HSCO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez as an 'excellent' officer who gave 'exemplary service.'
Gonzalez said Gutierrez was 'loved' by his colleagues, and the scars of his death 'will be there forever' in his department.
Following Spry's arrest, her bail was revoked and increased by $50,000 after it was found that she violated her bond conditions as her SCRAM tracking device detected alcohol in her system, reports ABC13.
