Carl Hessler Jr.
The Mercury, Pottstown, Pa.
(TNS)
Mar. 2—NORRISTOWN — Saying a New Jersey woman acted recklessly and with malice, a judge sent her to prison for more than a decade for driving her vehicle into a team of emergency responders, causing the death of a firefighter and injuring several others who were investigating an earlier crash on Interstate 76 in Lower Merion Township (PA).
“Who protects the protectors?” Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter pondered on Thursday as he sentenced Jacquelyn Walker to 12 to 24 years in prison in connection with the 3:23 a.m. July 24, 2021, crash in the westbound lanes of I-76 in Lower Merion.
Walker, 64, of the 700 block of Wild Oaks Court, Little Egg Harbor, N.J., previously pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering other persons and speeding in connection with the crash that killed Lower Merion firefighter Thomas Royds, 48, who was covering a shift with the Belmont Hills Fire Co., and injured several other first responders.
Carpenter said third-degree murder was the appropriate charge.
“She acted recklessly. She acted with malice. The amount of pain and suffering this defendant has caused is enormous,” Carpenter said.
Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice. Prosecutors alleged Walker engaged in sustained recklessness when she operated a vehicle with a defective braking system for several hours before striking the first responders.
Royds, of Springfield, was a career and volunteer firefighter for more than 30 years, serving the Lower Merion community at the Union Fire Association and the Belmont Hills Fire Co. as well as seven years as a volunteer in Clifton Heights.
Carpenter’s sentence included several consecutive terms to represent each of the first responders who were injured.
Seated in a wheelchair and appearing frail, Walker sobbed and apologized to the victims and their families.
“I’m truly, truly sorry,” said Walker, adding she didn’t intend to harm anyone and pleading with the victims not to hate her. “I’ll pray for this the rest of my life.”
Dozens of firefighters, state troopers and other first responders attended the hearing and they arrived in several emergency vehicles that parked in front of the courthouse in a show of support for the victims.
Grief and heartache permeated the courtroom as members of Royds’ family and several of the injured firefighters choked back tears when they testified about the impact the incident had on their lives.
“I never got to tell him I loved him one last time. It keeps a burden on my mind. Every day it’s a different struggle,” Thomas Royds-Helverson, Royds’ son, testified, adding his father loved helping others. “Hopefully, his legacy will live with us and live on with everyone.”
William Kamp-Helverson, Royds’ second son, testified Royds was a dedicated firefighter who never complained, adding, “He was a great father and an even greater firefighter.”
Firefighters Alex Fischer and Sam Shaffer, who suffered serious injuries during the crash, described Royds as a mentor to the younger men, “a man of wisdom and kindness.”
“My life was changed forever. I forgive you. But actions have consequences,” Shaffer addressed Walker directly.
Kevin Kelley, a firefighter who witnessed the carnage and was nearly struck by Walker’s vehicle, told the judge, “I will never forget the bangs of each individual hit.”
Carpenter imposed the sentence that was sought by District Attorn