A courtroom was packed with loved ones and community members of a beloved U.S. postal worker Tuesday as the driver who struck and killed him in a hit-and-run crash learned his sentence.
More than a dozen people wishing to speak in court showed up at the sentencing for 56-year-old Craig Nelson of Julian, who struck and killed 25-year U.S. Postal Service veteran Kevin Wilson on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
One neighbor described Wilson as the Mr. Rodgers of the community when he confronted Nelson before he was sentenced to three years and eight months on Tuesday.
His death was overwhelming to The El Cerrito community he served for more than 25 years, but the impact was even greater for Wilson's family.
Wilson's wife, Nancy Cavanaugh-Wilson, said that while Nelson will face less than five years behind bars, she got a "life sentence without the love of my life."
The couple met at the post office and were together for more than 20 years.
Local
Prosecutors said Wislon was cycling when he was struck from behind and left on the side of Dehesa Road. He was killed on impact while the driver took off.
Nelson was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for hit-and-run causing death and failing to stop to an injured person.
