SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of killing a passenger in his vehicle while speeding and driving under the influence following a birthday celebration has been ordered to prison.
John F. Bishop, 37, was sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison for automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, and terms of zero to five years for two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a third-degree felony. Third District Judge Robin Reese ordered that the sentences be served concurrently.
Bishop pleaded guilty to the charges in May.
Four additional counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a third-degree felony, were dismissed in exchange for Bishop's plea as were misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, failure to remain at an accident, operating a vehicle without an interlock device system and driving with alcohol restrictions.
Bishop was charged in connection with a April 1, 2009, accident that left Jason Palmer, 26, dead. According to witness testimony, Palmer was one of a group of men who was celebrating Bishop's birthday. The group started at a party thrown by Global Marketing Alliance, which many of them worked for, and then moved on to the Trails bar.
They were headed east on I-80 — with the speedometer climbing as high as 140 mph according to some witnesses — when Bishop rear-ended another vehicle, killing Palmer.
Police said Bishop walked away from the crash, but they tracked him down when he sought treatment at a hospital. His blood-alcohol level was 0.10. The legal limit in Utah is 0.08.
A Park City couple traveling in the vehicle Bishop struck, testified at a previous court hearing that they sustained myriad injuries that continue to impact their lives.
— Emiley Morgan, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam