The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 28, 2011

Mother of Child Killed in Hit-and-Run Sentenced to Probation 
-------------------------------------------------------------



A Georgia mother who faced a longer prison sentence than the drunk
driver who killed her son has avoided time behind bars, following a
public outcry. An all-white jury had convicted Raquel Nelson, an African
American, of homicide by vehicle and of jaywalking. Nelson’s son,
A.J., was killed as the family attempted to cross a busy street between
a bus stop and their apartment complex. There were no crosswalks nearby.
After facing three years in prison, Nelson has been ordered to serve one
year’s probation and carry out 40 hours of community service. The
driver who struck and killed A.J. — a partially-blind man who admitted
to drinking and using painkillers the day of the accident — served six
months and is currently on probation. An online petition demanding
leniency for Nelson prior to her sentencing gathered more than 125,000
supporters.



.