FRANKLIN, Indiana — A driver involved in a deadly hit-and-run last March received the maximum sentence. But the mother of the man the driver killed made an unusual request at sentencing.
Shane requested we only use her first name to protect some of her family's privacy. But she wants to honor her 29-year-old son, Alec Guyette, who was killed while riding his bicycle.
"He wasn't comfortable driving a car, so he never obtained a license,” said Shane. “He chose public transportation and he chose to ride a bicycle. That was just Alec. He did it his way."
Guyette was riding home from work on his bike, traveling south on Emerson Avenue in Greenwood south of Pushville Road at about 10:30 p.m. on March 7, 2020. His bike had reflectors and he was wearing a bright green safety reflective vest.
Guyette was struck from behind a 1996 Cadillac DeVille. His mangled mountain bike was thrown 71 feet into a front yard. The driver, Derrick Scott, did not stop.
When Scott arrived at his destination, he told friends he might have hit something. When they saw the extent of the damage to his car, they backtracked his route and found Guyette dead near the road.
Monday, Scott received the maximum sentence of 12 years. He'll serve nine years in prison, three more on probation. But as sentencing wrapped up at the Johnson County Courthouse, Guyette's mother made an unusual request.
"I had a very brief moment in time to stand up and represent my son,” said Shane. “It was not about me. It was about representing my son."
"We showed up and stood up for Alec and voiced for him,” said Evan, Guyette’s brother. “We just did the right thing."
Shane asked that the court ordered restitution of about $2,000 due to her family be given instead to Scott's children to offset his outstanding child support.
"It makes you have faith in humanity again, that there are good people out there who can, despite being hurt so deeply and personally, engage in such a selfless act of grace and kindness and compassion to another person - especially the person who caused that heartache,” said Johnson Country Prosecutor Joe Villanueva.
“I have a strong desire to bring something good from Alec's short life,” said Shane.
Guyette was working two jobs at restaurants. He was engaged. He was bringing home a plate of food to his fiancée on the night he was killed.