A jury convicted Alyssa Shepherd of reckless homicide almost one year after illegally passing a stopped school bus, killing three children and injuring a fourth near Rochester, Indiana, reported the Indianapolis Star.
Shepherd was driving a pickup truck that struck and killed twins Xzavier and Mason Ingle, 6, and their older step-sister Alivia Stahl, 9, as the children were crossing the street last Oct. 30 to board their school bus. A fourth student, Maverik Lowe, 11, was also struck and was critically injured. He reportedly underwent more than 20 surgeries since the crash.
Shepherd was found guilty on Friday of three felony counts of reckless homicide, it was reported. She was also found guilty of a felony count of criminal recklessness and a misdemeanor count of passing a school bus and causing injury when the stop-arm is extended.
She faces a maximum sentence of 21.5 years.
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No evidence of drugs or alcohol was found in Shepherd’s system at the time of the crash, according to the news reports. However, some blame was placed on the bus stop on rural State Road 25, which has since been relocated inside an adjacent mobile home park, where the children lived.
