A driver who fatally struck a motorcyclist on Freeway 101 in Marin County then tried to cowl up the crime has been convicted of felony hit-and-run.
Frank Anthony Barone Jr., 34, was additionally discovered responsible Monday of a felony rely of conspiring to impede justice. He faces a possible jail sentence of as much as 4 years and eight months, mentioned Deputy District Lawyer Andrea Buccine, the trial prosecutor.
Barone, who had been free on bail pending the trial, was booked into the county jail after the decision. The sentencing is about for June 23 earlier than Choose Geoffrey Howard.
The crime occurred at about 10:10 p.m. on March 26, 2018, on southbound Freeway 101 close to East Blithedale Avenue in Mill Valley. Marie Siegenthaler, 29, was driving her bike house to San Francisco after visiting her household in Fairfax.
Authorities mentioned Barone hit Siegenthaler from behind together with his Chevrolet Tahoe and drove off. Siegenthaler fell to the highway and was hit by a second automobile, whose driver pulled over to attend for police.
The California Freeway Patrol investigated the case and obtained automobile particles from the collision web site. Police discovered the broken SUV in June after receiving a confidential tip, in line with the prosecution. It was at an auto restore store in Petaluma that's owned by Barone’s uncle.
The uncle’s former girlfriend advised police that the uncle met Barone in Sausalito the night time of the collision to cover among the harm and get the automobile again to the store in Petaluma, in line with a prosecution submitting.
The previous girlfriend additionally advised police that she had heard Barone yelling on the uncle “for not placing the Tahoe contained in the store so it couldn’t be seen,” the submitting mentioned.
“Previous to defendant being recognized as the motive force of the automobile, they'd brag about overlaying up the crime,” it mentioned.
The CHP additionally performed an evaluation of Barone’s cellphone data and decided that he had been texting at concerning the time of the collision.
In April 2019, Barone was arrested in Moorpark (Ventura County), the place he was residing.
The unique prices included a vehicular manslaughter rely that the prosecution dropped later.
The trial was delayed till this yr amid the case backlog stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barone can also be going through a civil lawsuit filed by Siegenthaler’s household. Barone’s uncle, Wealthy Gustafson, is known as as a codefendant together with different members of Barone’s household.
Gustafson was not charged in reference to the legal investigation.
The Siegenthaler household has established a nonprofit within the sufferer’s honor to supply scholarships for college students on the Faculty of Marin and California State College, Monterey Bay. Siegenthaler, a graduate of the previous Sir Francis Drake Excessive College, was accepted to the science illustration program on the state college, however she died earlier than studying she had been admitted.
The nonprofit’s web site is tentaclesandwings.org.