The courtroom in Monroe was filled with people and with emotions.
Todd Moyer had been found guilty of 2 counts of Reckless Driving Causing Death.
Judge Michael Weipert sentenced Moyer to 7 to 15 years in prison as punishment, but also to send a message to everyone that texting and driving is “an evil that must be stopped.”
Moyer was driving on U.S. 23 near Monroe on July 14, 2017, going 78 miles an hour when he slammed into a car without braking, killing 35-year-old Gladys Johnson and her 5-year-old daughter Za’Kira.
The evidence is he had been searching strip clubs in Ohio and texting.
Moyer texted a friend, "just got into an accident."
The friend replied, "Seriously?"
Moyer texted back, "OMG I’m f-ed 2 people killed."
The friend replied, "not funny fake news."
Moyer texted, "bro I swear, I’m going to jail."
Gloria Johnson is Gladys’s mother. She talked with 7 Action News last summer.
Gloria passed away this past weekend. Her daughter Stephanie told the judge the pain was too much for her heart.
Gloria’s interview was played on a video in court before the sentencing.
Moyer was a Michigan State University Men’s Basketball strength and conditioning coach. He told the judge he wished he had turned off his phone and thrown it into the back seat before driving. And in the future, he wants to train people about distracted driving.
The Johnson family said Moyer got was he deserved.
