IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — Mandy Benn, a woman from Ionia who was found guilty of killing two bicyclists and seriously injuring three others in July 2022, learned her sentence Tuesday.
Benn will serve two consecutive 35- to 60-year sentences in prison.
Benn faced 15 different charges, including second degree murder, for the deaths of Edward Erikson of Ann Arbor and Michael Salhaney of Bloomfield Hills. The two were participating in a "Make-A-Wish" charity bike ride.
Prosecutors say Benn had no comprehension of what she did and had a history of driving impaired when she hit five bicyclists in Ionia County in July 2022.
Before the sentencing, family members of the two victims who were killed and the bicyclists who were injured delivered victim impact statements.
"Through your actions, I will forever be robbed of a future where my father is further involved in every shining cornerstone of my life," said Jacob Salhaney, second son of Michael Salhaney, who spoke of how the decision Benn made will continue impacting him and his family.
"He will never see me marry. He will never see me buy my first house. He will never see me have children of my own. He will never get to meet any future grandchildren, for that matter. I will never get to celebrate another birthday or holiday without forever feeling that my father is missing. It pains me deeply that you have absolutely no comprehension or sympathy for the crimes you have committed," Salhaney said to Benn.
"My father was the one person in my world that I could always count on and lean on. He was taken from us for no reason whatsoever, except the extreme negligence," said Joshua Salhaney, Michael Salhaney's youngest son.
"My dad is the reason I am the man I am today," he said.
Tracey Pascua, the wife of Roland Pascua, one of the men who were severely injured in the crash, told the judge of what he and his family have had to experience.
"Right now, Roland is disabled. He's no longer able to do the many things he loves, including riding a bike. He's had to learn to do most things now using only one arm. To try to explain the emotional impact of this crime on my family is almost impossible. The tears, the pain, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, the hours spent on the phone, times separated from our kids, celebrating kids birthdays, 20th anniversary, all in the hospital," said Pascua.
"You took a perfect man and broke him, an amazing man who was out trying to make a difference in the world. You broke our family. This is not your first crime. You need to be held accountable so that no other family must endure the heartbreak, the pain, the suffering," Pascua said to Benn.
Benn was given a credit for 439 days served in jail.
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