In 2012, bicyclist Robert Anthony Ramirez was hit by a car and died on the Congress Avenue Bridge. The site was later marked with a ghost bike. Three years later, the man responsible was convicted.
From the Austin American Statesman: (
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MAN FOUND GUILTY OF MANSLAUGHTER IN BICYCLIST’S DEATH
By Jazmine Ulloa, Austin American-Statesman Staff
Staff
4:28 p.m Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015 Crime
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Jurors deliberated for more than 10 hours before finding a hit-and-run driver guilty of manslaughter in the death of an Austin bicyclist.
Brian Adam Mahy was driving a Mustang on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin early Sept. 23, 2012, when he hit and killed Robert “Chops” Ramirez. Mahy’s trial began Monday, and jurors, who started deliberating Wednesday, rendered a verdict Thursday afternoon. Testimony in the punishment phase of the trial could continue Friday.
Austin police have said witnesses saw the Mustang hit Ramirez, 30, at about 4:30 a.m. on the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Mahy, 29, left the scene of the wreck and called police just before 7 a.m. from a hotel. He admitted he was the driver of the Mustang, his arrest warrant affidavit said.
He pleaded guilty Tuesday to failure to stop and render aid. But in a trial this week, prosecutors asked jurors to find him guilty of manslaughter, as they said Mahy had been driving recklessly that night and showed signs of intoxication.
Mahy could be sentenced to two to 20 years in prison for manslaughter. He could get up to 10 years in prison for the first offense, as the wreck occurred before Texas lawmakers increased the penalty for failure to stop and render aid in 2013.
In court Thursday, defense lawyers asked for probation for Mahy, who witnesses said had not violated his community supervision since he was released on bail shortly after the wreck. Testimony in the sentencing phase will resume Friday.
Jennen Phillips, who teaches those charged with driving while intoxicated about the dangers of drinking and driving, said Mahy expressed remorse in her class and wrote a letter about his experience that she still reads to other offenders.
Ramirez’s friends and family members described him as a gregarious, nomadic “kid” who had a special way of bringing friends and relatives together. He was raised in New York, liked to wander and worked in the Austin club scene.
At the time of his death, he had been an employee at the Blind Pig Pub but had someday hoped to open his own business.
“That is who he was to us, our brother,” said his friend, Davina Moreno. “He was part of the fabric of our family.”"
The next day, Mr Mahy learned his fate: (
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HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER GETS 2 YEARS IN DEATH OF AUSTIN BICYCLIST
By Jazmine Ulloa - American-Statesman Staff
Aug 7, 2015
A hit-and-run driver must serve two years in prison followed by eight years probation for the death of an Austin bicyclist nearly three years ago.
Brian Adam Mahy was driving a Mustang on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin early Sept. 23, 2012, when he hit and killed Robert “Chops” Ramirez. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to failure to stop and render aid and was convicted Thursday of manslaughter after a jury deliberated more than 11 hours.
Judge Cliff Brown, who presided over his trial, accepted the jury’s recommendations on punishment, ordering him to prison time for the first charge and 10 years probation for the latter. The punishment is to be served concurrently.
Mahy had been facing up to 30 years in prison.
In court this week, witnesses said they saw Mahy’s Mustang speeding and dangerously changing lanes before it struck hit Ramirez, 30, about 4:30 a.m. on the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Mahy, 29, left the scene and called police just before 7 a.m. from a hotel. He admitted he was the driver of the Mustang, his arrest warrant affidavit said.
Prosecutors said they tried Mahy on manslaughter as he had been driving recklessly that night and showed signs of intoxication. Defense lawyers asked jurors to consider probation for Mahy, who witnesses said had not violated his community supervision since he was released on bail shortly after the wreck.
Friends, relatives and supporters said they believed Mahy was committed to staying sober. One co-worker testified that Mahy had collected all the alcohol bottles in his home and asked that the co-worker keep it. His mother, Anne Mahy, sobbed as she told jurors her son had become everyone’s designated driver and wanted to make sure nobody would ever have to go through an experience like his.
“It has been a tragedy for both families,” the mother said, wiping away tears. “Every time, I pray for Brian, I pray for Robert. They will always be connected for all of us.”
But prosecutors said Mahy needed to pay the consequences for his actions and the life he ripped away. Ramirez’s friends and family members described him as a gregarious, nomadic “kid,” who had a special way of bringing friends and relatives together. He was raised in New York, liked to wander and worked in the Austin club scene.
At the time of his death, he had been an employee at the Blind Pig Pub but had someday hoped to open his own business. To Davina Moreno, a friend, he was the person she could turn to when everything else was going wrong, she said.
“That is who he was to us, our brother,” Moreno said. “He was part of the fabric of our family.”"