ST. GEORGE — A Sandy woman who pleaded guilty to killing three members of a North Carolina family and severely injuring another in a head-on collision in Millard County last summer has been sentenced to two years probation.
Jennifer Diamond, 43, appeared in 4th District Court in Fillmore before Judge Anthony Howell for sentencing Wednesday. In May, she pleaded guilty to three Class A misdemeanor counts of negligent homicide, as well as a misdemeanor for reckless driving.
According to ABC4 News, Diamond was emotional while addressing the courtroom.
“I don’t deserve to be forgiven. I don’t know that I will ever forgive myself. This is something I will carry for the rest of my life,” Diamond said in court.
Prosecutors told the court they wanted Diamond to serve time in jail. Instead, Howell opted for two years probation and called what happened a “worst-case scenario” involving reckless driving.
Diamond originally faced three counts of second-degree felony manslaughter, one count of second-degree felony aggravated assault and the reckless driving charge for the June 19, 2018, crash that resulted in the deaths of husband and wife Tyrone and Holly Bova, ages 47 and 43, and their 11-year-old son, Haden.
Though he survived, son Tyler Bova, 17 at the time, suffered a torn aorta along with spinal and intestinal injuries. In the year since, he has undergone over 20 surgeries and is still recovering.
Diamond’s 9-year-old daughter was also severely injured, according to ABC4 News.
At the time of the crash, the Bova family was visiting Utah from Archdale, North Carolina, when their car was hit head-on by a Porsche Cayenne driven by Diamond on U.S. Route 50 near Scipio in Millard County.
Diamond was passing a vehicle on the two-lane road and remained in the opposite lane when she ran into the Bovas’ Ford Fusion. It is believed by authorities that Diamond was distracted by dogs in her car.
Tyler Bova eventually returned home where his recovery and life since the crash has been documented on the “Built Tyler Tough” Facebook page.
He was present in the courtroom Wednesday, according to ABC4, and was asked by the judge what he thought Diamond’s sentence should be.
Now 18, Tyler Bova said he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt like his family had been, but he said he didn’t care whether Diamond served time in jail.
In addition to probation, Diamond was ordered to participate in 100 hours of safe-driving initiatives. Restitution related to the case will be determined at a later date.
St. George News reporter Cody Blowers contributed to this story.
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