A Connecticut private schoolgirl who killed a biker while distractedly driving her mother's Mercedes was spared jail, after a judge was told about her health issues.
Anngelina Morton, now 20, was given a 10-year suspended prison sentence Thursday after admitting the second-degree manslaughter of Justin Gittings, 31, who died in September 2024 after the crash in the ritzy town of Farmington, Connecticut.
His family are outraged over the ruling, which was handed down at Hartford Superior Court following an emotional hearing.
Morton was distracted by a text which popped up on the swanky SUV's infotainment screen when she crossed the center line and struck Gittings while traveling at 41mph.
asserted
she → kill → mph
He was so badly wounded that his leg had to be amputated at the scene, with the motorcyclist succumbing to his injuries four weeks later.
asserted
motorcyclist → wound → injuries
Two of his friends, who were riding on a motorbike behind him, were also seriously hurt in the wreck.
asserted
who → rid → wreck
Morton had turned 18 just five days before the smash.
asserted
Morton → turn → smash
Anngelina Morton, pictured outside court in Hartford on Thursday after she was spared prison for killing a biker while answering a message in her mother's Mercedes
Justin Gittings was struck while riding his motorcycle though Farmington, Conneciticut, in August 2023.
asserted
Gittings → picture → August
Doctors amputated one of his legs at the scene to try and save him but he succumbed to his wounds four weeks later
The defendant lived in her family's $940,000 home, shown above, in Farmington, Connecticut
She continued to post her equestrian achievements on social media while Gittings lay dying in hospital, to the disgust of his family.
The privileged teen was about to enter her senior year at the $53,000-a-year Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, whose alumnus include Sigourney Weaver.
asserted
alumnus → amputate → Weaver
A seemingly gilded life lay ahead of Morton, who shares a $940,000 home with her 63-year-old UnitedHealth executive mother Tammi Morton.
asserted
who → lie → mother
All of that has since vanished, according to her lawyer William Gerace, who sat beside Morton as she quietly cried throughout Thursday's hearing.
uncertain
she → vanish → hearing
Gerace managed to convince Judge Moira Buckley to spare his client, who wore a simple white shirt and loose-fitting black pants, a potential 2.5 year prison sentence after detailing how she had become a shell of her former self after the accident.
asserted
she → manage → accident
He painted Morton as 'a little girl who had only just turned 18 driving in her mother’s car' who was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the wreck.
asserted
who → paint → wreck
Anngelina Morton shared photos of herself enjoying equestrian pursuits on Instagram while her victim Justin Gittings lay dying in hospital
Anngelina Morton is shielded by a relative as she leaves Hartford Superior Court after avoiding a prison sentence
Mortin is seen shortly after her arrest in summer 2024.
asserted
Mortin → share → summer
She was about to begin her senior year at the $53,000-a-year Ethel Walker school
Gittings' mother Beth Politis is pictured outside court on Thursday.
asserted
mother → begin → Thursday
She fled in tears on realizing her son's killer would not sentenced to time in custody
Gerace told the court that Morton has developed 'bulimia and anorexia' since the accident, adding that she was no longer able to experience joy and had attempted to take her own life.
asserted
she → flee → life
'She has tried to kill herself on many occasions and has been institutionalized several times,' Gerace said.
asserted
Gerace → try → occasions
'This is what this has done to her.
asserted
this → do → her
After the hearing, Morton's other attorney Cara Cavallari told the Daily Mail that her client was 'hanging on by a string.'
asserted
client → tell → string
The court was also told of how Morton's mother Tammi, who worked as Chief Corporate Security Officer at UnitedHealth, had been 'bankrupted' by civil settlements filed against her daughter in the wake of Gittings' death.
asserted
who → tell → death
The amounts paid out were not disclosed and there was no sign of Tammi at Thursday's hearing.
asserted
amounts → pay → hearing
Morton leaves court on Thursday afternoon.
asserted
Morton → leave → afternoon
One of her lawyers told the Daily Mail that the killer was 'hanging by a string'
asserted
killer → tell → string
Morton is seen arriving at court in a black SUV before Thursday's hearing
Morton is pictured during her first court appearance.
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Morton → see → appearance
She ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Morton's offer to study at Auburn University in Alabama was withdrawn and she is now a student at Arizona State University.
She took to the stand to apologize on Thursday, tearfully telling the court: 'This tragedy has shattered my heart and soul.'
asserted
tragedy → plead → heart
Speaking through sobs, she said her anguish over what she did was 'incapacitating,' adding: 'I will never be able to move forward and leave this behind.
asserted
I → speak → this
'To Justin’s family and to Emily and Tyler, I know this is not enough,' she continued.
'
asserted
she → know → Emily
To Justin and the future he should have had, to Emily and Tyler for what they have endured, I am incomprehensibly and desperately sorry.'
asserted
I → have → what
Judge Buckley ultimately took Morton and her attorney's pleas on board, calling her a 'good kid.'
Morton's mother, Tammi Morton (pictured), 63, was a high-flying Chief Corporate Security Officer at UnitedHealth Group, according to her LinkedIn profile
She also cited Morton's age when letting her off with probation and a $5,000 fine.
uncertain
She → take → probation
Morton was also ordered to write letters of apology to Gittings' family as well as Tyler Silvas and Emily Scarfo, Gittings' friends who were riding behind him in a second bike.
asserted
who → order → bike
They were also badly injured in the smash.
asserted
They → injure → smash
Judge Buckley acknowledged the victims' concerns that Morton 'had a privileged life' but said, 'this is not a case about privilege.
asserted
this → acknowledge → privilege
'
She also condemned Morton's social media activity following the crash.
asserted
She → condemn → crash
'Would I take to social media in this kind of case?
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I → take → case
Absolutely not,' Buckley said.
asserted
Buckley → say → ?
Morton is seen leaving court in Hartford on Thursday.
asserted
Morton → see → Thursday
She is now a student at Arizona State University after an offer to study at Auburn University in Alabama was rescinded in the wake of Gittings' death
'
asserted
offer → study → death
I would not post about it, I would hunker down, but to the disappointment of most of you here, I’m not going to sentence her for that behavior.
asserted
I → post → behavior
I believe that in the months that followed, she has shown remorse for what happened.
asserted
what → believe → remorse
'
Gittings' loved ones were distraught by the sentence, with one of his friends screaming 'murderer!' at Morton, who wore black Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses to hide her face as she was marched out of the courthouse by her family.
asserted
she → love → family
She was promptly bundled into a white SUV before it drove away.
asserted
it → bundle → SUV
The victim's mother, Beth Politis, said before sentence was passed that only a custodial punishment would bring her family closure.
asserted
punishment → say → closure
'I came to court with nobody calling me mom,' she said.
asserted
she → come → me
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
