PROVO — James and Karla Hutchings surely didn't intend to kill an 84-year-old woman as they drove their cars through American Fork on a rainy April afternoon last year.
But the couple, who had been using illegal drugs, raced each other down residential streets at nearly 60 mph. The race ended when James Hutchings ignored a stop sign and slammed into Fern Clements' car April 27.
The impact ripped the petite grandmother out of her seat belt and sent her smashing through a window and onto the wet pavement.
Despite medical help at the scene and American Fork Hospital, Clements died four days later. Her injuries included broken ribs and skull, neck and foot fractures. She suffered such extensive bruising her daughter said she could barely recognize her.
"We're sure (they) didn't wake up and decide to commit a crime that would take our mother," said Connie Harwood, Clements' youngest daughter. "But they did have disregard for the law, take illegal substances . . . drive two separate vehicles at high speeds through a 25 mph zone, have disregard for the stop sign and did hit our mother."
James Edwin Hutchings, 50, was sentenced Thursday morning to two consecutive terms of up to five years in prison for two third-degree felonies — automobile homicide and illegal possession/use of a controlled substance.
His wife, Karla Curran Hutchings, 47, will spend 200 days in the Utah County Jail and two years on supervised probation for a class A misdemeanor of reckless endangerment. The couple is also responsible for paying almost $16,400 in restitution.
"I apologize . . . for the horrendous mistake I made," James Hutchings said between sobs during his sentencing hearing Thursday morning. "This is something that should never have happened."
James and Karla Hutchings were arrested on the scene. Tests showed they both had meth in their systems.
Andy Howell, James Hutchings' attorney, also said during the hearing that his client had wanted to apologize earlier.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Dave Sturgill requested that Judge Gary Stott set aside the recommendation from Adult Probation and Parole that James Hutchings be allowed supervised probation instead of serving time in jail or prison.
However, even with a prison sentence, Sturgill and the Clements family acknowledged that no prison sentence or restitution amount can ever replace their mother.
"We were planning an 85th birthday (party) for her," Harwood said. "We didn't get to have that. I relied on my mom for moral support to me every day — I don't have that anymore."
E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com