Michigan man sentenced in toss of rock off overpass that killed vehicle passenger
Michigan man, who tossed rocks off of an over pass, has been convicted of second-degree murder
A 19-year-old from Michigan — who was the oldest suspect in a group that threw a large rock off of an overpass, killing a man — was sentenced Tuesday to serve between 39 months and 20 years in prison, according to reports.
Kyle Anger pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after dropping a six-pound rock from an overpass in Vienna Township, about 80 miles north of Detroit, in October 2017.
Prosecutors said Anger threw the rock that smashed through a truck’s windshield and killed 32-year-old Kenneth White, who was a passenger in the car on his way home from work.
ROCK THROWN FROM HIGHWAY OVERPASS KILLS MICHIGAN MAN IN CAR
“We just weren’t thinking what the outcome could be of it and just doing dumb stuff,” Anger told the court.
"We just weren’t thinking what the outcome could be of it and just doing dumb stuff."
The rock hit White’s face, causing fractures to his skull and face, then hit his chest. His cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma to his head and chest. Anger was also ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution to White’s family, Flint's WJRT-TV reported.
"Words cannot express our deepest sorry to Mr. White's family, his children relatives & friends. As we all have learned along the way there are many families dealing with the heartache of his death and the path the boys have taken with their future,” Anger’s family said in a statement after the sentencing hearing, according to Fox 66 of Flint.
Anger remained at Genesee County Jail in Flint since he and four younger teens were arrested in 2017. He will receive credit for the 740 days already served, WJRT-TV reported.
His lawyer, Edward Farrell, said Anger agreed to plead guilty on the contingency he would be sentenced based on manslaughter guidelines, which range from 19 months to 57 months in prison. Those guidelines do not allow for a life-sentence, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
The other defendants involved all accepted a deal to plead guilty on lesser manslaughter charges. Anger was the only one to agree to be tried as an adult.
Prosecutors said the group of friends gathered on the overpass to throw rocks at cars below as a part of a game called “overpassing” or “ping.”
“There was nothing unintentional about this,” Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph J. Farah told the court, according to The Grand Rapids Press. “The intention was to throw the rocks down and hit the cars. In fact, it was called a game … ping, I think. There would be hollering out of ‘ping’ when there was a reverberation of sound between the rock and the metal of the car.”
"The intention was to throw the rocks down and hit the cars. In fact, it was called a game … ping, I think. "
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Several drivers reported having large rocks and concrete chunks hit their vehicles the day White was killed, but they were not injured, prosecutors said. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office said 20 rocks were found, including one that weighed 20 pounds, according to Detroit's FOX2.
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