A motorist was sentenced in a Santa Ana court Friday to four years in prison for killing a pedestrian while texting on a cellphone.
Martin Bert Kuehl, 42, of Costa Mesa was convicted in January of vehicular manslaughter in the death of Martha Ovalle early Aug. 29, 2008.
Ovalle, 32, a nanny, was struck by Kuehl’s SUV as she was crossing the street near Dover and Westcliff drives in Newport Beach.
Orange County prosecutors said Kuehl was texting while driving. He stopped at a light, failed to notice when it turned green, then lurched forward when the driver of the car behind him honked.
Prosecutors said he told Newport Beach police that he didn’t see Ovalle in the crosswalk before hitting her, despite having an unobstructed view.
— Jill Leovy