The woman convicted of causing a crash that killed a Meriden man and injured two others will not serve any jail time.
A judge sentenced Anngelina Morton on Thursday to a 10-year suspended sentence and five years of probation for the 2024 crash that killed Justin Gittings.
Thursday’s sentencing hearing included emotional testimony from 17 people who described the impact Gittings’ death has had on family and friends. The two surviving victims also addressed the court, speaking about the lasting injuries and trauma they continue to live with following the crash.
Morton left the courthouse shortly after sentencing.
In announcing the sentence, the judge said she considered several factors, including Morton’s age at the time of the crash. Morton had turned 18 less than a week before the collision.
As part of her probation, Morton must comply with several conditions, including making annual charitable contributions selected by the victims’ families, reading victim impact statements every year on the anniversary of the crash, writing letters to the victims and their families, and participating in speaking events about the dangers of distracted driving.
Her defense attorney Cara Cavallari said the judge appropriately weighed all of the circumstances in the case.
“I think it was an incredibly emotional day. There was a life lost. There were two people that were seriously injured,” Cavallari said. “As hard as this case was, I give the judge a lot of credit in her decision, and I strongly believe it was the right decision in weighing the facts.”
She also pointed to Morton’s age and actions after the crash as key factors in the outcome.
Attorneys representing Gittings’ family said they were disappointed by the sentence but hopeful some good could come from the educational requirements imposed by the court.
“The family is a little bit disappointed, very disappointed that Anngelina won’t be doing jail time in this particular circumstance,” attorney Caitlyn Shea Malcynsky said. “But all along, for Gary and Beth the most important thing has been to make sure that distracted driving is addressed on the roads.”
Malcynsky said Gittings’ family hopes the case serves as a warning about the dangers of distracted driving.
Still, she acknowledged the judge was bound by legal precedent and other factors, including Morton’s age, when determining the sentence.
Morton read a prepared statement in court but has not otherwise contacted the family, according to Malcynsky. One of the conditions of her probation requires her to provide written apologies to the victims and members of Gittings’ family.
Following the sentencing, several of Gittings’ family members and friends were visibly emotional, expressing frustration that Morton will not jail time.
