Discontent rippled through the courtroom gallery as the judge handed down his sentence to Tanya Leffler on Monday — 7.75 years in prison, about a year short of the maximum.
The Amboy woman was driving high on methamphetamine when her 2010 Mitsubishi Galant struck and killed motorcyclist James Luden of Vancouver on April 14, 2014. Luden, 54, was stopped for traffic on Padden Parkway when the crash occurred.
Leffler, 35, pleaded guilty Monday in Clark County Superior Court to the original charge of vehicular homicide and faced a maximum sentence of 102 months, or 8.5 years, in prison.
“It would be easy to give you 102 months, easy,” Judge Gregory Gonzales told Leffler. “But, I have to give you a chance.”
Dozens of people packed into the courtroom — filling it to near capacity — to show their support for Luden’s family. Some members of the gallery held back tears, while others silently sobbed or made pointed comments about Leffler.
Leffler kept her head down or turned away, avoiding eye contact, and spoke softly to the judge.
Luden’s daughter, Heather, said after the hearing that she is glad the case is over but that Leffler should have received the maximum prison sentence.
“My family had to pay the max price. She should too,” Heather Luden said. “She has shown no remorse.”
Heather Luden had told the court that she didn’t just lose her father in the crash.
“The day my dad was killed, my mom stopped living. In a sense, I have lost my mother, as well,” she said.
James Luden’s mother, Peggy Anderson, also addressed the court and held a large photo of her son. Victims advocate Mary Todd read her statement because Anderson was too emotional to read it herself.
“No matter how much time you’re given, it won’t be enough,” Anderson’s statement read.
‘Lack of responsibility’
During the hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu walked the court through the day of the crash.
Luden was stopped at a red light on Padden Parkway to turn left onto Northeast 94th Avenue when Leffler struck him from behind shortly before 4 p.m. Vu said Leffler had been traveling between 58 to 63 mph right before the crash. The speed limit in that area is 50 mph. He said the evidence also showed she didn’t apply her brakes until she was about 25 feet away from Luden.
Luden was thrown 28 feet and hit a pickup that was stopped in front of him, Vu said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Toxicology reports found Leffler had 0.26 milligrams per liter of methamphetamine in her blood, Vu said. Her driver’s license also was suspended at the time.
“This is a case that has affected this community greatly,” he said, noting the crowd in the courtroom.
Vu added that “actions speak way louder than words” and that Leffler’s actions since the crash have “spoken volumes in terms of her attitude” and “lack of responsibility.”
She was given numerous opportunities, he said, and she continued to make poor choices.
Leffler has a pending drug-distribution case from August and was picked up on a warrant when she failed to show up for court in October. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service took her into custody Oct. 27 near Salem, Ore. She had been out on bail for a third time but continued to violate the conditions of her release, including testing positive for methamphetamine use.
“Clearly, Ms. Leffler has not learned her lesson. She just still doesn’t get it,” Vu said. “The court should impose the maximum (sentence). Anything less would send the message she’s gotten away with her criminal conduct.”
Leffler’s defense attorney, Heather Carroll, argued her client should receive 6.5 years in prison, because this was her first offense.
Carroll raised issues over the level of methamphetamine found in Leffler’s blood, arguing that a high level would have made her more vigilant. She said Leffler’s brakes were not working properly on the day of the crash and that her speed was consistent with traffic on the road.
Carroll said that Luden’s helmet didn’t protect his entire head.
“(Leffler) did make some bad decisions,” Carroll said, adding that those actions affected her choice to not go to trial.
Leffler apologizes
A tearful Leffler told the court that she takes full responsibility for her “bad life choices.”
“The images and sounds of that day will forever haunt me,” she said. “Please accept this small group of words, I’m sorry, because they’re all I have to offer.”
Gonzales told Leffler what strikes him the most is not the crash itself but her conduct since the crash.
Leffler quickly interrupted and said her life had spiraled out of control, because of the crash and domestic-violence issues with her boyfriend.
“Unacceptable,” Gonzales said.
“I agree there’s no punishment that will bring back a life,” he said, but added that he wholeheartedly disagreed with the defense’s sentencing recommendation.
He ordered that Leffler serve 93 months in prison and 18 months of community custody. She was given credit for 110 days in custody. Gonzales also ordered she not have contact with Luden’s family and that she undergo a substance abuse evaluation and treatment. Her driver’s license was revoked.
As the gallery members trickled out of the courtroom, some voiced their outrage over Leffler’s sentence.
One man called out to Leffler, saying she should have gotten life.
“And you’re smiling? That’s wrong.”
