Catching up on news from last week... In Minnesota, a jury found Amy Senser, the wife of former Minnesota Vikings star Joe Senser, guilty on two counts of criminal vehicular homicide: Amy Senser knew she hit someone, jury finds.After nearly twenty hours of deliberation, Senser was convicted of striking and killing 38-year-old Anousone Phanthavong last August on a Minneapolis freeway ramp, failing to immediately call for help, and leaving the scene of the accident.
Throughout the trial, Senser's attorney insisted that she didn't see Phanthavong, and thought she had hit a construction barrel. The jury wasn't buying it:
The convictions Thursday brought to a close eight months of media scrutiny and public speculation over the degree to which Senser would be held accountable for Phanthavong's death. After nearly 20 hours of deliberation, the verdicts brought relief to the family of the victim, a 38-year-old Laotian immigrant who was putting gas in his stalled vehicle when he was struck by Senser's Mercedes-Benz SUV.Senser, who could face four years in prison, remains free on bail, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9. More here: Amy Senser: The case, the trial, the verdict. And here: Juror: Senser's story didn't add up.
"It felt like bricks were taken off our shoulders," one of Phanthavong's relatives, Sayaphone Phouthavongsay, said later.
Senser, a 45-year-old Edina resident, was convicted of two counts of criminal vehicular homicide: failing to immediately call for help and leaving the scene. She was acquitted of operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner. The convictions call for four years in prison under state guidelines. She also was found guilty of misdemeanor careless driving.
Meanwhile, the Sensers have reached a settlement in the civil lawsuit brought by the relatives of Anousone Phanthavong: Amy Senser, victim’s family settle lawsuit in fatal hit-and-run case.
