HEBRON — The woman accused of backing into and killing a popular teacher in Hebron in 2014 has been sentenced to 20 months in prison.
In December, Elizabeth Everett was found not guilty of two counts of manslaughter, not guilty of DUI, and guilty of misconduct while driving and unsafe backing.
Everett’s official setnence is 5 years in prison, suspected after 20 months and 3 years probation.
Dawn Mallory, 65, was hit in the parking lot of the RHAM Middle School on March 14, 2014 and died two weeks later. Everett was dropping her son off at RHAM High School and backed into a bus zone in the middle school area and hit Mallory.
Everett chose to have a trial by judge instead of jury, and previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Everett admitted to drinking a bottle of wine the night before, but Judge Graham said the state failed to prove she was actually intoxicated at the time of the crash and that alcohol caused the crash.
The state trooper who responded to the scene said he smelled alcohol on Everett’s breath, but Judge Graham said other witnesses gave conflicting statements. When her BAC was tested around an hour and a half after the crash, it tested at .07 — just under the legal limit.
Everett had a back-up camera in her vehicle, but investigators found she was going in reverse at 14 miles per hour.
After the accident, RHAM made changes to the parking area and bus area to improve safety.
Last year, lawyers for the estate of Dawn Mallory, settled with the driver’s insurance company for $1.1 million. The settlement was for the maximum amount of coverage Everett carried on her vehicle.