A Dane County judge has sentenced Kevin Meister to 15 years in prison for the hit-and-run crash that killed cyclist Shelton Berel last August. In his ruling, judge William Hanrahan said Meister has lied to many people.
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MADISON (WKOW) -- A Brooklyn man is being sentenced Friday afternoon in the hit-and-run crash that killed a cyclist in Oregon last August.
Kevin Meister, 35, pleaded guilty to two felony crimes in February, including homicide by vehicular use with a controlled substance, as part of deal that included prosecutors dropping two other homicide-related charges.
The victim, Shelton Berel, left behind a wife and a daughter, who is now three years old. At Friday afternoon's sentencing hearing, Berel's widow asked the judge to sentence Meister to a prison term that lasts until her daughter is done with high school, adding that she and her family have already received a life sentence of grief.
Prosecutors asked for a 16-year sentence, calling Meister a "selfish addict."
Defense attorneys asked for one-year in jail as part of a probation sentence, and Meister addressed the court himself, saying, "I have so much remorse."
Meister's attorney claims his client did not know he had hit a cyclist. Court documents 27 News reported on previously indicate Meister told detectives he thought he had hit a deer. Witnesses told authorities Meister's truck was weaving before it hit and killed the 33-year old Berel. The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. on August 5 in the Town of Oregon. Prosecutors says Meister left the scene without stopping to check and see what he hit, and that he had in his possession syringes, a cooker and a twist tie to inject drugs. A criminal complaint filed in the case indicates police think Meister was driving on the wrong side of the road when his truck hit Berel.