Baltimore County man sentenced in hit-and-run death of Columbia man
Man pleads guilty in death of Towson student last fall
By Loni Ingraham and Michael Santa Rita
Posted 7/18/08
The family of Towson University freshman Kevin M. Ryan is reliving the agony of losing their son as the man who caused his death was sentenced July 17.
Ryan, a Columbia resident, was killed in a hit-and-run-accident Oct. 12 after he was struck by a car driven by a drunken driver while he was walking beside Hillen Road near Goucher Boulevard.
On July 17, Matthew David Miller, 26, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to one count of manslaughter by vehicle. The Loch Raven Heights resident was sentenced to 18 months in the Baltimore County Detention Center.
Jamie Ryan, of Clarksville, Kevin Ryan’s uncle, said the sentencing brought back painful memories to the victim’s parents, Charlie and Angela Ryan.
“It’s a long, tough road ahead of them,” Jamie Ryan said. “It’s a tough road for all of us. As a family we’ll support each other.”
After Miller’s car jumped the curb it struck Ryan, according to the prosecutor. Ryan was thrown into Goucher Boulevard and hit by another vehicle, whose driver remained at the scene and was not charged.
Miller kept driving, left his car in an alley and called 911 to report he had been car-jacked by three men. He told police he was not involved in the accident.
But glass shards in his clothing and evidence at the scene of the accident led police to arrest Miller, whose blood-alcohol content was 0.13 percent — the legal limit for intoxication is .08 — and charge him with two counts of driving while intoxicated, one count of driving while impaired and seven counts of hit and run, Hill said.
Miller’s 18-month-sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached with the state’s attorney’s office.
Jamie Ryan said the family was satisfied that Miller seemed remorseful during the sentencing.
He added that he felt some justice was done by Miller’s sentence.
“At the end of the day, he’s in jail today and he’s living with the reality that he took another person’s life and that alone is a punishment I wouldn’t want to be facing,” he said.
Ryan, a Columbia resident, was killed in a hit-and-run-accident Oct. 12 after he was struck by a car driven by a drunken driver while he was walking beside Hillen Road near Goucher Boulevard.
On July 17, Matthew David Miller, 26, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to one count of manslaughter by vehicle. The Loch Raven Heights resident was sentenced to 18 months in the Baltimore County Detention Center.
Jamie Ryan, of Clarksville, Kevin Ryan’s uncle, said the sentencing brought back painful memories to the victim’s parents, Charlie and Angela Ryan.
“It’s a long, tough road ahead of them,” Jamie Ryan said. “It’s a tough road for all of us. As a family we’ll support each other.”
After Miller’s car jumped the curb it struck Ryan, according to the prosecutor. Ryan was thrown into Goucher Boulevard and hit by another vehicle, whose driver remained at the scene and was not charged.
Miller kept driving, left his car in an alley and called 911 to report he had been car-jacked by three men. He told police he was not involved in the accident.
But glass shards in his clothing and evidence at the scene of the accident led police to arrest Miller, whose blood-alcohol content was 0.13 percent — the legal limit for intoxication is .08 — and charge him with two counts of driving while intoxicated, one count of driving while impaired and seven counts of hit and run, Hill said.
Miller’s 18-month-sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached with the state’s attorney’s office.
Jamie Ryan said the family was satisfied that Miller seemed remorseful during the sentencing.
He added that he felt some justice was done by Miller’s sentence.
“At the end of the day, he’s in jail today and he’s living with the reality that he took another person’s life and that alone is a punishment I wouldn’t want to be facing,” he said.
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