19-year-old driver who killed cyclist in Wellington Crescent hit and run sentenced to 3 years

Edzi'u Loverin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 4:15 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A 19-year-old operator who mislaid power of a speeding car and killed a cyclist connected Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent successful a deed and tally past twelvemonth has been sentenced to 3 years down bars.

Rob Jenner, 61, was deed on Wellington, conscionable eastbound of Academy Road, connected the greeting of June 6, arsenic helium was biking to his occupation astatine the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

A collision reconstruction expert who reviewed the country determined a BMW driven by Beckham Keneth Severight, who pleaded blameworthy successful October to unsafe driving causing death, was going astatine slightest 159 km/h successful a 50 km/h zone.

"This transgression has near Mr. Jenner's woman without a husband, his children without a father, his nieces and nephews without an uncle, and his uncles without a nephew," said provincial tribunal Judge Cynthia Devine successful a Wednesday sentencing hearing, during which she sentenced Severight to three years successful custody for unsafe driving causing decease and 1 twelvemonth for leaving the country of an accident, to beryllium served consecutively.

"Every cyclist successful Winnipeg has felt endangered, frightened, distrustful and terrorized astatine immoderate constituent implicit the past eight months," Devine said successful her sentencing, a signaling of which was reviewed by CBC.

Severight, who lone had his learner's licence astatine the clip of the collision, lost power of the car owed to the velocity helium was driving and started skidding arsenic helium tried to debar hitting Jenner, tribunal was told. 

The car's beforehand bumper deed the bike's rear tire, throwing Jenner onto and crossed the vehicle's hood and windshield.

He was thrown up to 10 feet into the aerial earlier landing connected the pavement, Devine's sentencing decision says.

He was taken to infirmary and pronounced dead.

Severight fled the country of the crash, on with his then 18-year-old roommate, who had leased the BMW and was besides successful the car astatine the clip of the crash.

After the crash, Severight's roommate told him to support driving, tribunal antecedently heard. They travelled a abbreviated region down Wellington Crescent earlier pulling implicit truthful they could power seats, and near the country without checking to spot if Jenner was injured oregon needed help.

"The atrocious proposal from his 18-year-old person won the time and helium drove away," Devine's sentencing determination said.

"He had to cognize idiosyncratic was earnestly injured, if not killed. He did not stop, did not spell back, and did not telephone 911."

Cyclists 'roll the dice connected tragedy': interaction statement

In her decision, Devine read quotes from a assemblage interaction connection by cyclists successful the city, who shared their stories in effect to Jenner's death.

"The decease of Rob Jenner has travel for the sickening accusation that simply to exist, to transit, to exercise, to live, we indispensable rotation the dice connected tragedy," Devine quoted from the interaction statement.

"Every Friday, I deterioration reddish connected my motorcycle commute to punctual myself to decorativeness the week strong, similar Rob utilized to. I inactive haven't been capable to thrust the conception of my thoroughfare wherever helium was killed," said different punctuation from the assemblage interaction statement.

Jenner's wife, Wendy Van Loon, work her ain unfortunate interaction connection successful court, "talking astir however excruciating the representation of that greeting is and however her bosom is shattered, and her beingness is everlastingly changed," Devine's determination says.

"This was the twelvemonth helium intended to retire. They had plans to travel. She misses their walks. Her location is empty," the determination said.

Another 35 radical provided the tribunal with letters of enactment connected Severight's behalf, attesting to his quality arsenic a driven and nurturing idiosyncratic who encouraged others.

"People who cognize him were universally shocked to larn of the fatal mishap due to the fact that it was wholly retired of quality for him," Devine's determination said.

Severight is an Indigenous young antheral who has "overcome overmuch hardship" successful his beingness and grew up arsenic a imperishable ward of the state, the determination said.

"I ne'er meant to instrumentality that antheral distant from his household and kids," Severight said successful his pre-sentence report.

"I personally cognize what it is similar to turn up without a household and I wouldn't privation that connected immoderate one."

The Crown had asked for a four-year sentence, portion the defence sought 18 months successful custody, followed by 18 months of supervised probation.

Devine said due to the fact that of Jenner's death, the condemnation needed to denounce the crime, but she took into information Severight's contrition, his inheritance and circumstances.

"He is sincerely wracked with guilt and has important penetration into the offences," said Devine.

He was fixed recognition for the clip he's been successful custody, leaving him with astir 22 months near to serve. That means helium volition debar a national situation sentence, since sentences of less than 2 years are served successful provincial jails.

Severight volition beryllium connected supervised probation for 1 twelvemonth aft his release, and volition beryllium banned from driving a conveyance for 5 years.

Severight's roommate, who is charged with nonaccomplishment to halt astatine the country of an mishap causing death, is scheduled to look successful tribunal again successful May.