JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After an emotional day in court, a woman learned she would spend 10 years in prison for a 2007 DUI crash that killed one person and seriously injured another.
Prosecutors said that in April 2007 Antonia Ramirez was driving while intoxicated when her car hit the vehicle Joanna Knepper was in, killing the 24-year-old woman and seriously injuring her fiancé.
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At one point during her sentencing hearing on Friday afternoon, Ramirez was in tears as the victim's relatives took the stand and talked about how the tragedy has impacted their lives.
They said Knepper was engaged to married and was about to begin a new career as a teacher when she died.
After the judge's decision, Knepper's father Randy Knepper told Channel 4 that Ramirez's sentence would provide some closure for the family.
"There are no winners in a court like this. We hurt and so does the other family. My initial reaction is, justice is justice. We've got a great land that we live in and I would just encourage people -- do not drink and drive," Knepper said.
In addition to having to spend 10 years in prison, Ramirez will also serve five years probation and her license was permanently revoked.
The judge did make a provision to allow Ramirez to attend the impending funeral of mother, who is terminally ill and not expected to live much longer.