Michigan woman gets 70 years for killing 2 cyclists in vehicle collision
Mandy Benn, 44, was convicted in October of second-degree murder and various other charges
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A woman was sentenced to at least 70 years in prison for causing the deaths of two bicyclists who were hit while taking part in a charity ride in western Michigan.
The judge in Ionia County stacked two 35-year terms for Mandy Benn, a rare consecutive punishment. Most sentences in Michigan courts run concurrently.
Police said Benn was under the influence of drugs when she crossed the center line and hit a group of bicyclists on a rural road in 2022.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Edward Erickson, 48, of Ann Arbor, and Michael Salhaney, 57, of Bloomfield Hills, were killed while riding in a three-day endurance event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Mandy Benn appears for her preliminary examination on charges of second-degree murder at Ionia County Courthouse in Ionia, Michigan, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
"This is not an accident. ... There was a series of choices you made at some point to ingest this cocktail of narcotics and that led to everything we saw," Judge Ronald Schafer said Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In October, Benn, 44, was convicted of second-degree murder and a raft of other charges.
She apologized in court on Tuesday and read out the names of the dead and injured bicyclists.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I know you haven’t seen much of it but I am very much so sorry," Benn said. "I never in my life had any intent of hurting anyone. One moment — that moment — changed the outcome of a lot of futures."