SEATTLE — The man accused of hitting two protesters, killing one of them, with his car during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Seattle in 2020 pleaded guilty Thursday to three charges in the case.
Dawit Kelete, 29, originally pleaded not guilty in July 2020 to vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless driving. On Thursday, Kelete pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Kelete and the prosecution have agreed to a total recommended sentencing of 78 months, which is six years and six months. Kelete will also be ordered to 18 months of probation after serving his sentence.
His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8 in the King County Courthouse.
On July 4, 2020, the Washington State Patrol said Kelete drove the wrong way onto I-5 to get around a road closure and struck two people around 1:40 a.m.
Summer Taylor, a then 24-year-old veterinary clinic worker, suffered critical injuries and later died.
The second protester, Diaz Love of Portland, Oregon, was hospitalized in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center.
A motive for the deadly incident was not revealed in previously released court documents.
At one point during Kelete's arrest and jail booking process he asked if the protesters were OK, court documents said.
An attorney for Kelete says an exclusive focus on Mr. Kelete's conduct misses the greater point about the tragic events of July 4, 2020. Francisco Duarte says while he cannot and does not speak for the victims, he can say that "local and state authorities were negligent in protecting the public and BLM protesters. Local and state authorities need to (and should) acknowledge their negligence and role in these tragic events."
Thursday, an attorney for Taylor's family, Karen Koehler, lamented the length of time it's taken for the case to move through the court system, and said the family is focused on remembering Taylor.
"While it was a relief to know they wouldn't have to go to court, there's a lot of very sad, grieving people still," Koehler said. "Their child, sister's, birthday was yesterday. They are bereaved. They are... resigned, that this is the best that can be done. Their child will never be returned to them."
Koehler also noted a lack of mention in the plea deal of any substance-related restrictions. A civil case is also making its way through the court system.
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