A Newton man convicted of vehicular homicide in the death of a local teenager was denied a request to reconsider his sentence Monday, but the matter could be back in court within six months.
Daniel L. Edwards, 43, is serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty last fall in the incident that killed 14-year-old Brendan O'Brien.
District Court Judge Martha Mertz denied the request, however, the court will allow Edwards to renew his request for resentencing if he successfully completes a substance abuse treatment program within the next six months.
In January, Edwards’ attorney Gerald Feuerhelm, filed a motion to reconsider sentence due to “his age, education, criminal history and the fact that the defendant has received the rehabilitative effect of being incarcerated.”
Rita Delanty, Brendan O'Brien's grandmother, addressed the court Monday pleading for Edwards' original sentence be left intact.
"No words can adequately express the emptiness and grief our family endures daily at the loss of Brendan," Delanty said. "Most people believe that everyone deserves a second chance, but Edwards has had too many second chances to count. His history demonstrates an inability to follow the rules."
Bob O'Brien, Brendan O'Brien's father, did not address the court. He said Tuesday it is important to the family that Edwards be rehabilitated and that no other family suffers the way they have.
"Nothing is going to bring Brendan back ... it's up to God to forgive and to judge," Bob O'Brien said. "We just don't want this to ever happen to anybody else."
Edwards was initially charged in July 2013 following an investigation into the into the April 21, 2013 incident in which police determined Edwards was was speeding and under the influence of synthetic drugs when he struck Brendan O’Brien with a Chevy Blazer.
O’Brien was hit at approximately 9 p.m. on a Sunday night as he was walking northbound in the 1100 block of East 19th Street North with a group of friends. Edwards, traveling at approximately 41 mph in a 35 mph zone, hit him with his vehicle as he was out delivering pizzas, according to court documents.
O’Brien was unresponsive when police officers arrived on the scene. He was transferred to Skiff Medical Center and then airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines where he died two days later as a result of injuries sustained in the collision.
Online court records show Edwards has an extensive history of driving infractions including dozens of traffic violations and several charges for driving while suspended or revoked.
Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com