The jury returned with the two guilty verdicts for manslaughter and DUII in just 27 minutes. The 12-person jury was unanimous in finding Richard Scott guilty of causing the death of Karen Greenstein, a 911 dispatcher who was traveling home from work on March 27th 2014 when she was hit head-on by Scott, and killed instantly.
The state described it as the worst manslaughter case it’s ever seen. “I’ve never seen a crash scene as one of the witnesses described it as looking like a bomb went off,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz.
Scott had five prior DUIs in California, and his blood alcohol level the night of the crash was 3 times the legal limit.
His remarks in court were brief. He said, “I’m so sorry for this, and that’s all I have to say.”
A victim’s advocate read a statement from Karen’s sister, detailing the loss Karen’s family and only daughter feel. The letter read, “Amanda will have to be satisfied with everyone telling her your mother would have been so proud and so happy.”
And while the judge imposed the maximum sentence allowed by law, it’s little consolation for the family and friends of Karen Greenstein.
“Nothing that we do or say can bring Karen back, and you know we did what we could in her memory.”
Scott will serve a total of 141 months in prison, or nearly 12 years. His driver’s license is suspended for life.
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