EVERETT — In December 2011, Darren Streeter was killed by a drunken driver as he walked along the U.S. 2 trestle.
In court on Thursday, Streeter’s family told the driver they’d forgiven him, but they wanted there to be consequences for his actions.
A Snohomish County Superior Court judge sentenced Dominic Anthony Tarrell Agostini, 25, to two and a half years in state prison.
Because the crash happened in 2011, Agostini was sentenced under the former state guidelines for vehicular homicide convictions. The laws were changed last year to lengthen sentences.
Agostini, who had no criminal history before the crash, cried as he spoke in court.
He never meant to hurt anyone, he said.
“I’m sorry for what I did, and I wish I could take it back,” he said. “I’m truly sorry.”
Streeter’s girlfriend, grown son and the son’s mother also were in court.
His girlfriend Theresa Dubs, also was injured in the crash.
Streeter’s son is about Agostini’s age, she said.
She asked Agostini to live a good life when he gets out of prison, and to remember what happened to Streeter, who was 47.
“Things will get better,” she said.
Streeter’s son’s mother, Kelly Bottem, also spoke.
“Darren is missed,” she said. “This has been painful for my son and Darren’s family.”
Agostini’s lawyer said his client has no memory of that night, Dec. 26, 2011.
Streeter and Dubs were driving home from Marysville when they ran out of gas. They began walking on a pedestrian path, which is separated from traffic by a concrete barrier.
The woman told police she was about two blocks behind Streeter when a car brushed her arm. The car, she said, was driving on the walkway. A moment later she heard a crash. She couldn’t see Streeter, but spotted the gas can he’d been carrying and the baseball cap and shoes he’d been wearing.
She began to scream.
Police searched for Streeter for about an hour. They finally discovered him below the trestle. He’d been knocked over the side. He fell nearly 30 feet below.
Troopers found Agostini sitting behind the wheel of a car that had crashed into the concrete barrier. He reeked of alcohol.
“I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” Agostini asked a trooper.
He was told that he’d killed someone.
Agostini told police he’d drank beer earlier and then suggested that someone spiked his beer with Valium. His lawyer repeated the story in court Thursday.
Toxicology tests revealed that Agostini’s blood alcohol level was 0.11. He also had diazepam, also known as Valium, and marijuana in his system.
The judge ordered his arrest as Thursday’s hearing concluded.
Agostini walked over to a woman he knew. The pair hugged each other and cried in the courtroom as the court marshal waited for the lawyers to finish the paperwork.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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