A man convicted of hitting and killing a couple as they walked to vote on Election Day in 2022 received a sentence of eight years in prison.
Miguel and Ana Ortiz were in a crosswalk holding hands when they were struck in Gaithersburg, Maryland, by Davinder Singh, who had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
At sentencing Friday, the judge said she saw the video of the crash and called it horrific. She called Singh a very sick man.
He had been an alcoholic for years and had never been treated for the disease, prosecutors said. He was arrested for DUI twice before. In 2017, his blood alcohol-content was 0.30 — more than three times the legal limit.
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After his indictment in the Ortiz case, Singh was found yelling at patrons in a restaurant and hospitalized with a BAC of 0.38, prosecutors said.
Miguel and Ana Ortiz were pillars of the community, according to their three children.
In court Friday, one of the couple’s sons read a statement saying, in part, “The death of our parents has left an enormous void. They were wonderful parents, pillars of their community. They wanted to spend their golden years with their grandchildren. We are emotionally scarred for the rest of our lives. We have been left to pick up the shattered pieces.”
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Singh apologized in court Friday. He has been in jail for almost a year and will get credit for that time.
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