Sunday, May 26, 2013
   
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Teen Pleads Guilty To Homicide By Vehicle

montco_courthouseA Montgomery County teenager has admitted causing a woman’s death after losing control of his speeding car. 81-year-old Zita Egitto was fatally injured last month on Reed Street in Willow Grove, just off York Road near Upper Moreland High School.  She was on the sidewalk, on her way to visit a friend, when the car hit her.  Prosecutors say 17-year-old Colin Murphy tried to turn a corner while going at least 79 miles per hour in a zone posted for 35 miles per hour.  Investigators found he tried to make a left turn onto Reed Street in front of opposing traffic by applying his emergency brake in an attempt to slide around the turn, a maneuver commonly known as drifting.  It was depicted in the movie “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.”  He lost control when the rear wheels locked up.  After striking her he continued up an embankment and struck a building as the victim flew onto the porch.  Investigators say the teen was driving from morning classes at the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology to other classes at Upper Moreland High School when the incident occurred.  He pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle Wednesday in Montgomery County Juvenile Court and apologized to the victim’s family, saying he never meant to hurt anyone.  The victim, who lived in Willow Grove for 51 years, leaves behind five sons and 15 grandchildren.

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