AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — A woman who ran over and killed two people before leaving the scene will spend nearly 11 years behind bars.
Megan Skillingstad pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of hit-and-run on Monday. The charges stem from a fatal hit-and-run incident last April, where Skillingstad killed Desmond Miller and Kady Mcferon while driving drunk through Airway Heights. As a result of her guilty plea, a Spokane County judge sentenced Skillingstad to more than 10 and a half years in prison.
According to court documents, Skillingstad told deputies she fell asleep at the wheel and thought she hit a power pole. She also admitted to drinking and driving, which was later confirmed when her blood-alcohol content (BAC) measured at 0.13.
Before the fatal hit-and-run, Skillingstad was involved in another fatal hit-and-run in 2011, where she hit and killed a cyclist in Spokane before driving away. She pleaded guilty to failure to remain at the scene of a fatal accident in 2013 and was sentenced to one year in jail.
Skillingstad originally pleaded not guilty to the crimes in May, but changed her plea to guilty to all three charges.
In court Monday, Mcferon's mother shared her heartbreak over her daughter's death, and a victim's advocate read a letter from Miller's mother.
"[Desmond] was my reason for being a better mom," a letter written by Miller's mother read. " I never realized how much time I spent with Desmond until he was taken for me. The second Megan hit my kid and he took his last breath was the second my heart stopped."
"I can tell you I'm not the same person I was before Kady died," said Diana Hale, Mcferon's mother. "Reading my grandchildren's statement, talking about how grandma doesn't laugh, that we're busy, it's definitely made me realize the importance of, I have to find the strength for them.
Skillingstad spoke directly to the judge and the victims' families, saying she didn't know she hit two people but would have called 911 if she did.
"Once I saw the ambulance and police and flashing lights, I knew something seriously was wrong," she said. "If I would have known I hit somebody or even seriously injured somebody I would have done anything in my power to help. I have thought about this night every day for the past nine months and will continue for the rest of my life. I know what I did was wrong."
Skillingstad also took the opportunity to apologize to the victims' families, saying she replays the incident in her head every day.
"I can't imagine the pain and the emotions your families go through day in and day out. I sincerely can't put into words or say any apology to the families, to Kady or to Desmond that will ever take back the pain of my careless actions," she said. "I take full responsibility for my thoughtless actions and fully accept the consequences to my actions. I can never say it enough, Kady and Desmond, I am wholeheartedly, sincerely sorry."
The victims' families did not appear pleased with the judge's nearly 11-year sentence. Many of them shook their heads and abruptly left the courtroom when the judge gave his ruling.
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