Andrew DenezzaHARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
A Dauphin County man will spend two-and-a-half to 12 years in prison for a 2009 crash that killed a taxi cab driver and his passenger on the Market Street Bridge in Harrisburg.
Andrew Denezza, 33, of Swatara Township, received his sentence Monday.
Denezza in April pleaded guilty to charges including vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter for the crash on the night of October 3, 2009, when he drove into the oncoming lane and hit the westbound taxi head-on.
The crash killed the cab driver, 34-year-old Michael Amissah of Harrisburg, and a passenger in the cab, 28-year-old Kristin Bowser of Camp Hill. Bowser's husband Chris was seriously injured in the crash.
The families of the victims had hoped Denezza would spend at least 20 years in prison, but were relieved that he is going to prison after three years.
"He should have been in jail a long time ago," Chris Bowers said outside the courtroom. "It's good to see he's going to jail today."
According to authorities, Denezza admitted he had four drinks before he got behind the wheel and said he was texting with his cell phone around the time of the crash.
The case prompted Harrisburg officials to ban drivers from using handheld phones, an ordinance later superseded by a Pennsylvania law that bans drivers from texting.
