Jail time ordered for man who killed girlfriend with his car

Jail time ordered for man who killed girlfriend with his car

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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man who admitted to hitting his girlfriend with his car during a fight with her mother was ordered Monday to serve three years in jail.

Anthony Robert Vigil, 30, pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, as well aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, both third-degree felonies. He was sentenced Monday to spend a year in jail for each of the three charges, with the sentences served consecutively.

Credit was granted for the 368 days Vigil has spent in jail since his arrest.

Vigil was originally charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in the death of Audrianna Mains, 24. That charge was reduced and additional charges were dismissed as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Salt Lake police say Vigil was arguing with Mains' mother, Mandy Lucero, near 200 W. Mead Ave. on May 21, 2015, when he got into his Lincoln Town Car and drove toward the spot where Lucero, Mains and several others were standing.

Vigil initially aimed his vehicle toward Lucero but veered at the last moment to strike Mains and her brother at more than 40 mph, a police report says. Mains was thrown more than 100 feet on impact.

Mains died a week later from her injuries.

A memorandum filed prior to Monday's hearing asked for a lenient sentence for Vigil, calling Mains' death a tragic and unintended consequence in a moment of anger. The plea for mercy included statement's from Lucero, who called her daughter's boyfriend a loving father of two who must now take on the difficult role raising his daughters without their mother.

"Mr. Vigil is blessed to have the support of a great family," the filing states. "Mandy Lucero, in particular, has demonstrated particular grace, forgiveness and understanding throughout her ordeal."

According to the filing, Vigil and Mains had been together since 2007 and "were like any other young couple." They loved each other deeply but sometimes argued, but had no history of domestic violence.

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The relationship between Vigil and his mother-in-law, who lived down the street from the couple, could be more contentious, however. It was an argument with Lucero that spurred Vigil into his car to leave that day, the memo states, but when he thought he heard something thrown to hit the back window, he whipped the car around.

"Still angry, (Vigil) made a U-turn, a decision that he laments to this day," according to the filing. "That fateful U-turn started the cascade of terrible, tragic events that led to Audrey's death."

The memorandum went on to say Vigil sped up to scare his mother-in-law, but that the group didn't move because no one, Vigil included, believed anyone would be hurt. When Vigil swerved to miss a parked car, he overcorrected, according to the filing, and hit Mains.

The document went on to include part of a letter to the court from Lucero, who agreed that her daughter's death was the result of negligence, not malice.

"I know your honor that Anthony did not intend to hit Audrey with his car, there is no doubt in my mind. He and I were in an argument and Audrey was not involved in that argument at all," Lucero said in the letter. "I never was afraid that I would be hit by the vehicle because I know Anthony very well and that sort of behavior is not how he conducts himself in life. … This was a very horrible accident, your honor."

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McKenzie Romero

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