SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man who fatally struck a married couple near Liberty Station with his SUV last year was sentenced Friday to six months in county jail, plus two years of probation.
Kevin William Thomer, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the Jan. 19, 2022, deaths of Alberta, Canada residents Jerome Zimmer, 71, and Madelyn Zimmer, 69.
San Diego Harbor Police said that at about 6 p.m. that day, Thomer was speeding westbound on North Harbor Drive, west of Nimitz Boulevard, and struck the Zimmers, who died at the scene. The couple was not in a crosswalk when they were struck. Alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash, according to authorities.
Deputy District Attorney Paige Woodward said that just before the fatalities, Thomer was involved in a road rage dispute with another driver, then sped down Harbor Boulevard at 75 mph in a 40 mph zone.
The prosecutor, who sought a sentence of one year, said Thomer regularly drove down that stretch of road to and from his workplace and should have been aware of the voluminous pedestrian traffic in the area.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein told the victims' family members in attendance that he had encouraged the sides to reach a plea deal in the case.
He said Thomer's conduct "was the main cause of this horrific homicide," but he said he didn't believe the case could go to trial when jurors might take into account that the Zimmers were jaywalking "in a very hazardous area" and that conditions were dark at the time.
Thomer was originally arrested last March but has remained out of custody on $50,000 bail for much of the time since. He was ordered to surrender on Monday to begin his custodial term.
