2-Year Prison Sentence For Driver Who Killed Cyclist

GRESHAM, OR — A 76-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday for his role in the death of a 21-year-old Gresham bicyclist in September 2016, Multnomah County officials announced.

Alex Jacoby on April 13 entered a guilty plea for one count of criminally negligent homicide. He was convicted and sentenced April 30.

According to Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, Jacoby had "aggressively challenged two other drivers to a street race" in the moments preceding the fatal collision with Robert Esparza.

In the early hours of Sept. 24, 2016, just around 3:30 a.m., Jacoby was driving his 2016 Chevrolet Corvette in the eastbound lanes of Northeast Glisan Street when he tried to convince other drivers to race him.

At the same time, Esparza was heading to work, riding north on the Gresham/Fairview pedestrian trail just a few blocks from his family's home.

As Jacoby sped away from those who didn't want to race him, he reportedly reached 80 mph seconds before he struck Esparza in a crosswalk. The speed limit along Northeast Glisan Street is 40 mph in that area.

The Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney prosecuting the case, Kirsten Snowden, argued that Esparza wouldn't have been hit if Jacoby had been following the speed limit.

Esparza was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center with critical injuries, Underhill said; he died four days later on Sept. 28.

“We as a family live with Mr. Jacoby’s mistake every day, every weekend, every holiday,” Robert’s father, Simon Esparza, reportedly said at Jacoby's sentencing hearing. “We wake up missing our son, brother and uncle. We go to bed wondering why we won’t see him tomorrow. Sadly, these questions are answered without response.”

Along with his 2-year sentence, Jacoby, who reportedly expressed remorse for his role in Esparza's death, will have his driver's license permanently revoked and need to pay more than $82,000 in restitution to Esparza's family.

“[Robert] was a great person,” Florencio Angel-Ramirez, Esparza’s brother-in-law, reportedly told the court. “We miss him so much. Robert was devoted to his family, and not a day goes by when we don’t think about him. He was everything to us, and it is still very painful.”

Images via Multnomah County Sheriff's and District Attorney's offices