Alexandra Masonet has been convicted of second-degree vehicular homicide after she rear-ended a car that then struck and killed a pedestrian in Hazlet, New Jersey, Good Morning America reports. The 50-year-old woman was texting a relative when the crash occurred. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
On the morning of September 28, 2016, Mansonet was texting a relative about dinner plans when her Mercedes Benz rear-ended a Toyota Corolla, according to CNN. The Toyota then hit 39-year-old Yuwen Wang in the crosswalk. Wang died five days later.
Prosecutors say that Mansonet received a text from her sister-in-law about dinner options just before the crash. The text read:
“Cuban, American, or Mexican. Pick one.”
They say that Mansonet was in the process of typing out “Mexican” but only typed out the letters “m” and “e” before the crash occurred. Mansonet said in court that she did not remember typing those letters. She claimed she looked down to adjust the defroster right before the crash.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni says this is the texting-while-driving case is the first of its kind.
“This is the first trial in Monmouth County that relied solely on cell phone use to establish recklessness in a Vehicular Homicide case,” Gramiccioni said in a statement Saturday. “We believe it is one of — if not — the first such trials in the state.”
The judge has scheduled Mansonet’s sentencing for January 31. According to CNN, she will be required to serve 85% of her sentence before being eligible for parole. She remains free on her own recognizance until her sentencing hearing.
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