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October 12, 2007 - 2:06PM
Woman gets maximum sentence in ASU hit-run
Comments | RecommendGary Grado, Tribune
The driver who struck and killed an Arizona State University Foundation official earlier this year was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison today in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Judge Raymond Lee gave Yesenia Angulo-Gastelum, 27, of Phoenix, the maximum penalty under the law, saying the emotional impact of 37-year-old Michael Boulden’s death on his family and the coverup attempt after Angulo left the scene added to the severity of the crime.
Boulden’s ex-wife, mother, 3-year-old daughter, sister and father-in-law asked Lee to impose the toughest sentence.
“It helps,” Tammalynn Phillips, Boulden’s younger sister, said after the hearing.
Angulo admitted in court on Aug. 20 to leaving the scene of a collision that killed 37-year-old Micheal Boulden, the ASU Foundation’s former chief of staff.
He was riding his bicycle east on Pinnacle Peak Road at 6 a.m. on Feb. 18 when Angulo, who was also driving east on her way to work, struck Boulden.
Boulden was later pronounced dead at the scene.
By the time police caught up with her, Angulo had repaired her broken windshield and tried to repair some of the other damage.
Her boyfriend told police he hit a tree and led them on a wild goose chase to find it, said prosecutor Brad Smith.
Angulo didn’t take responsibility until after her boyfriend confessed to police.
An accident reconstruction expert testified that Boulden was four feet into the roadway and was wearing dark clothing, making it impossible to see him until it was too late.
“The accident was caused by the deceased,” said defense attorney Ed Conter, causing Phillips and Boulden’s mother to bolt from the courtroom.
The expert also testified that Angulo was undergoing psychotherapy for anxiety at the time of the crash, which might have heightened her panic.
Smith said it didn’t matter who caused the accident or whether she initially panicked because the coverup was a callous and selfish attempt to “save her skin” so she wouldn’t be deported.
“No one really wants to talk about it, but she’s in this country illegally,” Smith said.
When Angulo faced the court, she stood silent and trembled for almost 30 seconds before she spoke.
She apologized to Boulden’s family and asked for mercy because she has two children of her own, a 10-month-old girl and 3-year-old son.
“I know I made a lot of mistakes,” she said.
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