Alyssa Shepherd has been convicted of killing three children at a bus stop in 2018.
Nearly one year ago, on October 30, 2018, three Indiana children were killed when a woman in a pickup truck hit them as they waited for their school bus. As WTHR reported at the time, four children were attempting to walk onto the bus that was waiting for them, when a Toyota Tacoma struck them as they crossed the street. The bus had its stop arm extended and its exterior lights turned on at the time of the accident.
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Three of the four children who were hit that day passed away. The fourth child suffered critical injuries, including multiple broken bones, but thankfully, survived. The three children, 6-year-old twins Xzavier and Mason Ingle and 9-year-old Alivia Stahl, who passed away were siblings.
Sergeant Tony Slocum said following the accident:
“Our hearts just break for the families involved here in this tragic situation, and our prayers obviously go out to them. It was a tough day to watch the emotions that these family members had to go through and a tough day for first responders. It’s been a while since I’ve seen first responders cry, but I saw some tears shed today because that’s what the situation dictated.”
– ABC 57
The driver of the truck was later identified as now 25-year-old Alyssa Shepherd. And almost 12 months after the accident took place, Shepherd has been found guilty of three felony counts of reckless homicide, a felony count of criminal recklessness, and a misdemeanor count for passing the school bus when the arm was extended, which resulted in injury.
The 25-year-old has not been sentenced yet, according to USA Today. However, she faces 21-and-a-half years for each count of reckless homicide.
A Grieving Father Showing Empathy Rather Than Hatred
Now, Alivia’s father is extending empathy towards Shephard’s family. Michael Stahl told WSBT that he feels for Shepherd’s children because his father was also incarcerated when he was young.
“I hurt for her kids because I grew up not having my dad because he’s incarcerated. And I know what that feels like as a child, and it’s horrible, it really is. […] She’s not losing in the way that we all have lost, but in a way, she’s losing her kids too because she has to face her punishment.”
The father also opened up about the Christmas gift he and his wife are giving their late child. As he told WSBT, all Alivia wanted last year for Christmas was another baby brother. In fact, they still have the list she wrote for Santa before her death last year. They learned they were expecting a baby girl in February and are due to give birth on November 4.
“The timing of it, it was just like, ‘Are you trying to tell your dad something here, kid?’ Are you trying to give me something, to kind of give me hope, maybe?” Alivia also wrote in her diary that if she ever had a daughter she would name her Mackenzie, and so Michael and his wife plan to do just that.
Shepherd ‘Was a Mess’ When She Realized What She Had Done
During her trial, Shepherd told the court that she “was a mess” after realizing what she did. As ABC 57 reports, she claimed that she didn’t see the bus or the sign telling her to stop.
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Shepherd’s ex-husband and friends who talked to the 25-year-old the day of the accident said you could tell she was going in and out of shock.
“I saw a vehicle, it was a very large vehicle. I couldn’t tell what it was.” She said she assumed it was a motor home until she noticed the children, then she “instantly knew it was a bus.” Shepherd added that after the accident occurred she tried calling 911 but couldn’t get through. She then got out of the truck, saying she didn’t see any of the bodies but noticed a man nearby with “an intimidating face” and decided to get back into her vehicle.
The mother of all three children, Brittany Ingle, was stunned at Shepherd’s lack of emotion in the courtroom as she had to explain what it was like finding her sons laying on the road.
Shepherd is expected to be sentenced on December 18. She will remain free until that day.