Thread: WIS-Illegal who killed teacher sentenced to seven years

Illegal immigrant who killed Stratford teacher Christine Brickheimer sentenced to seven years
By Jeff Starck • Wausau Daily Herald • June 2, 2009

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Friends and family members of a Stratford school teacher told a judge Monday they hope the man who killed her will heed her "final lesson" on the dangers of drunken driving.



Christine Brickheimer, 37, a third-grade teacher at St. Joseph's School in Stratford and a mother of four, was killed in a drunken driving crash Dec. 12 as she and her children returned home from Christmas shopping.

Judge Thomas Cane sentenced Jaime Lopez-Diaz, 26, of Edgar to seven years in prison Monday, days after he pleaded guilty to a charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Lopez-Diaz had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent at the time of the crash, according to police.

More than 30 family members, teachers and students, many clutching tear-soaked tissues, were in the Marathon County courtroom for the sentencing.

Brickheimer's 13-year-old daughter, Anna, told Cane that she won't have her mother for her first day of high school, her graduation or her wedding.

"We had a special relationship," Anna Brickheimer said. "Sometimes, I think we were more like sisters than mother and daughter."

Brickheimer's children -- ages 4 to 13 -- were left with physical and emotional scars from the crash; one will require future surgery and years of rehabilitation.

In a letter he wrote in Spanish and translated to English, Lopez-Diaz apologized to the Brickheimer family and said he understood their anger toward him.

"A loved one is priceless and would never be exchanged for anything," Lopez-Diaz wrote.

Cane said he read more than a dozen letters and heard the witness statements in court. Some asked the judge to send Lopez-Diaz, an illegal immigrant, to prison for a lengthy sentence. Ultimately, he issued the 17-year sentence recommended by prosecutors, Lopez-Diaz and his attorney, Richard Lawson. The sentence calls for seven years of incarceration and 10 years of extended supervision after his release.

"I can sentence Mr. Lopez-Diaz to 25 years, and it's not going to change anything," said Cane, referring to the maximum sentence.

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10 years of extended supervision after his release.

What?