A repossession agent who pleaded guilty to killing a mother-of-three while trying to take back her car in a high speed pursuit was sentenced up to 15 years in prison.
Kenneth Drew, 50, sobbed in court as the judge ordered him to spend one to 15 years behind bars at Utah State Prison for the death of 35-year-old Ashleigh Best.
It was a surprising sentence, as Drew accepted a deal that recommended he only spend one year in a local jail if he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The prosecution recommended that he then serve 60 months of probation before having his second-degree felony charge downgraded to class A misdemeanor.
They also agreed that Best's family could not advocate for a specific sentence, according to the
Salt Lake Tribune.
But Drew was still given the maximum punishment allowed. He will have to begin serving his sentence in a week.
Brennen Best, Ashleigh's husband, said he was 'extremely happy' with the sentence but said it was 'just a little victory'.
'I think that the facts of the case couldn't be overlooked,' he told the paper.
'The facts are that he chased my wife 12 blocks, put her into a tree and killed her. And he has to answer for that.'
'My answering is that I lost my wife. My wife lost her life. My children have lost their parents. I'm just a shell of what I was.'
Best was killed after crashing into a tree at speeds of at least 70mph in Pleasant Grove, south of Salt Lake City, on May 17.
Drew had gone to her house after midnight to take her Lincoln Navigator on behalf of a bank because she had fallen behind on title loan payments.
Brennen stepped between the tow truck and the SUV and argued until Drew agreed to leave the vehicle and allow the couple time to make a payment and return with proof, according to police documents.
A short time later, Best got in her SUV and drove away. Her husband told police he had instructed her to drive the SUV to her mother's house.
Drew later told police he was angry about the deception and sped after her in his tow truck with his girlfriend in the passenger's seat.
A neighbor's security camera shows Drew trying to force Best against a curb as both cars accelerated.
Prosecutors said Drew then drove alongside Mrs Best's SUV, grinding his rear right tire into her door.
Best jumped the curb and slammed into a tree. She died a short time later from her injuries.
Drew claimed he was just following Best to keep an eye on the SUV but investigators said evidence, including pictures and GPS data, showed that wasn't the case.
On Tuesday Loni DeLand, Drew's defense attorney, argued that although there was 'no question' he had been reckless, the crash was not intentional.
DeLand argued that Best's driving ability may have been affected by a mixture of drugs in her system that included antihistamine, anti-anxiety medication and methadone.
He asked the judge for jail with work release, claiming the crash could have been 'induced by either party'.
Drew apologized for what he called an 'unfortunate accident' during his sentencing hearing.