A former ABC News correspondent received a sentenced of three years of probation for vehicular homicide in Massachusetts.
A judge in Plymouth, Mass., further ordered Robert Zelnick not to drive and to write an apology letter to the victim’s family, the Boston Globe reported.
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Authorities say the 73-year-old was leaving Plymouth’s Pinehills Golf Club in October 2011 when he steered his SUV into the path of a motorcycle driven by Brendan M. Kennedy, 26. Kennedy couldn’t stop in time and died from his injuries. He had been on his way to work at the club’s restaurant.
The two men knew each other, because Zelnick was a regular at the restaurant.
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Zelnick was not found to be speeding or inebriated at the time of the accident. His lawyer, Raffi Yessayan, told the Globe that Zelnick’s family was “destroyed” by the accident — “but it’s nothing in comparison to what happened to the Kennedy family.”
“The Zelnick family’s hearts go out to the Kennedy family. They hope that someday they will be able to go on,” he added.
Yessayan said Zelnick, who is in declining health and had his license revoked, will not drive again. Zelnick, who is also a Boston University journalism professor, previously told the Globe that he is battling Parkinson’s disease.