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ST. GEORGE — The verdict was rendered following the four-day trial of 39-year-old Christopher Weaver, charged with second-degree felony automobile homicide in connection with a 2019 fatal crash on state Route 9 and 6300 West in Hurricane.
The defendant was tried in 5th District Court before District Judge Keith C. Barnes on third-degree felony automobile homicide, a charge that was amended from a second-degree felony. Weaver was also charged with an infraction for speeding.
Washington County prosecutors Jim Weeks and Zachary Weiland represented the state in the case, while Weaver was represented by defense attorney Scott Garrett.
According to the state, on Oct. 11, Weaver was heading to work in a 2017 Ford pickup truck and traveling over 70 mph in a 60 mph zone when he came upon the stopped traffic and failed to stop. When the defendant slammed into the back of a Mazda Hatchback, the impact caused injuries so severe that the driver, 20-year-old Kylie B. Park, of Riverton, died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
A report from the Office of the Medical Examiner concluded that Park died from "multiple blunt force injuries as a result of the traffic accident," as stated in the charging documents.
The five-vehicle pileup was triggered when the defendant's pickup struck the Mazda that was pushed into the back of a Chevy Silverado pickup that collided with the back of Toyota Tacoma. The initial impact spun the Mazda into a Toyota Highlander.
Read the full story at St. George News.
KSL's Southern Utah News Section
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