The Tucson man who killed Pima County Public Defender Robert Hooker in a street-racing crash last year pleaded for forgiveness Friday from Hooker's family, another victim and the community.
Standing before a packed courtroom, a highly emotional Alexander Rodriguez read separate letters to Sharon Hooker, Gayle Hill and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Edward Burke.
In each of the letters, Rodriguez apologized for his choices on April 1, 2008, and said he prays nightly for those whose lives he irrevocably changed.
No matter how long his prison sentence, Rodriguez vowed to speak to young drivers about driving responsibly.
Burke sentenced Rodriguez to seven years in prison and three years' probation Friday. The judge also ordered Rodriguez to speak to students and community groups at least once a month on the dangers of street racing.
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At the end of his letter to Sharon Hooker, Rodriguez said "I'm not a bad person. … I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
Tears in her eyes and with her son, Lance, sitting beside her, Hooker smiled slightly and nodded at the 20-year-old.
Earlier, Hooker asked Burke to give Rodriguez the mitigated sentence.
"I realize the tragedy is wide and deep, and it extends beyond my family and the community," she said. "It extends to Alex Rodriguez and his family. I want to offer compassion and empathy to his family and to the defendant."
Rodriguez's family, who packed most of the courtroom, gasped softly at Hooker's gracious words.
Hooker went on to say she hopes Rodriguez "will make much" of his life, a sentiment shared by Hill, who was also struck that day.
Speaking before the sentence was imposed, Hill told Rodriguez and Burke that while she escaped with minimal physical injuries, she is still plagued by flashbacks of the crash and the sight of Rodriguez's face just before the crash.
She has no feelings of ill will toward him, Hill told Rodriguez, but she wants him to teach others about what can happen when people act irresponsibly.
Hill stopped short of recommending a prison sentence, saying she was ill-equipped to make one, but she urged the judge to ensure Rodriguez gives back to the community.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to manslaughter, aggravated assault, endangerment and criminal damage in May.
Police say Rodriguez was racing another vehicle southbound on North Main Avenue during rush hour when he lost control of his pickup truck near West St. Mary's Road and smashed into oncoming traffic near the train tracks.
Rodriguez was going 82 mph when he collided with Hooker's SUV, killing the attorney instantly, court records show. Rodriguez also collided with an Acura driven by Hill, who was treated at a hospital and released.
Rodriguez spent two months in a rehabilitation center before being arrested by Tucson police.
He was facing anywhere from seven and 16.5 years in prison.
Defense attorney Chris Kimminau had urged the judge to show some mercy toward Rodriguez. Not only did family members and friends write letters of support, but so did former employers and staff members from the rehab center, Kimminau said.
Rodriguez, a former altar boy, had never been in trouble with the law before, Kimminau said.
His client pleaded guilty to the exact charges he was indicted on because he wanted to spare the families the additional trauma of a trial, Kimminau said.
The crash was not the result of an intentional act, the defense attorney said.
"This was a crime that occurred because of an 18-year-old exercising poor judgment," Kimminau said.
Many young men under 25 have probably engaged in similar behavior, Kimminau said.
Burke handled the case because all of Pima County's Superior Court judges declared a conflict of interest because of their history with Hooker.
Hooker, 65, had run the Public Defender's Office since January 2005.
Before joining the Public Defender's Office, Hooker was a longtime criminal-defense lawyer.
He also was a Pima County Superior Court judge from 1980 to 1983.
