Teen Gets Up To 20 Years in Prison For Throwing Rock Off Overpass, Killing Man
A 19-year-old Michigan man was sentenced to 39 months up to 20 years in prison Tuesday for taking part in a 2017 incident that left one man dead after a group of teenagers threw objects off a freeway overpass.
Kyle Anger, of Clio, Michigan, was the oldest of five teenage boys who are believed to have dropped several objects off an Interstate 75 overpass on October 18, 2017. When the group allegedly tossed a large rock onto the windshield of a van, 32-year-old passenger Kenneth White was struck by the boulder and killed.
At least four other vehicles are believed to have been damaged by a reported 20 rocks dropped off the overpass, along with other objects including a car tire and a piston. At the time of the incident, the boys were aged between 15 and 17 years old.
The objects were allegedly thrown as part of a game the group called "overpassing." Anger said the group did not anticipate the potential consequences of their actions on the night.
"We just weren't thinking what the outcome could be of it and just doing dumb stuff," he told the court.
Anger was tried as an adult. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the case, with the agreement that his sentence would be based on manslaughter guidelines.
The four other accused teens are attempting to be treated as juveniles. The group withdrew from an earlier plea agreement, in which they had entered guilty pleas to manslaughter charges. Prosecutors agreed to drop the charges on the condition they be re-entered in juvenile court, but the judge in the case did not immediately agree to the move, saying he would need time to "research" it in late September.
Related Stories
On Tuesday, Judge Joseph Farah admonished Anger for throwing the objects, and said the sentence was in the middle range of sentencing guidelines, while suggesting that the four other defendants should not be punished to the same extent.
"It is the court's belief that his sentence, as an adult, should be the highest of the five," said the judge.
The sentence imposed allows a credit of 740 days for time served, and Anger's earliest possible release would be after 15 months. He is also required to pay restitution of $7,000 to White's family.
"Words cannot express our deepest sorrow to Mr. White's family, his children, relatives and friends," said Anger's parents in a statement after the sentencing. "As parents we have no answers as to the whys and we can only take it one day at a time and be there for our son. We hope and pray Kenny's family can find it in their hearts to Kyle and the others for this tragic turn of events so the healing process can begin by all."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jq2cnqZdnLK1v4xrZ2axlZa%2FtHnPq6Csp55iwam%2BzrCgp59dp7ykt4yonZ9ln6uys7zArKpmo5mhuaq6xmakmqZdZoF3hJRwbA%3D%3D