AKRON, Ohio — An impaired driver who killed an Akron mother last year at a red light is heading to prison.
On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Daniel Shanaberger to 10 to 14 years behind bars. The victim's family wanted the maximum sentence which would have been 13 to 17 years, according to prosecutors.
You can watch the sentencing in the player below:
In June, Shanaberger was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them.
Ta'Shanna Junius, 32, was killed in March of 2023 at the intersection of Manchester and Wilbeth roads in Akron.
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Minutes after dropping off her 4-year-old daughter at preschool, Junius stopped at a red light.
Moments later, a Ford Taurus driven by Shanaberger slammed into the victim's car, pushing it into another vehicle that had also stopped at the light.
The mother was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General, where she died.
Prosecutors said Shanaberger was under the influence of several drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and fentanyl, at the time of the accident.
During the emotional court hearing, seven family members or close friends gave statements to express the pain of their loss.
"You took a role model from me. You took a true best friend. She was a superstar," said Iyisha Brown, the victim's best friend.
Another close friend, Morgan Johnson, looked directly at Shanaberger during a portion of her statement.
"You never gave her a chance and the irony is you took multiple drugs and drove. Yet, she died and you got to live," Johnson said.
Shanaberger apologized to the victim's family just before he was sentenced.
"To say I'm sorry doesn't come close to describing how truly sorry I actually feel. I know that I have done wrong and deserve to pay the penalty," he said.
Loved ones told News 5 that Junius was a nurse but took some time off to get her real estate license. She was a Kent State graduate known for her cooking, sense of humor and straightforward nature with people.
About two months ago, family members expressed frustration in getting justice because Shanaberger's trial date was pushed back twice before the defendant pleaded no contest.
"I feel like once we get some type of justice, then I'll be able to move on to the next steps of the whole grieving process," her brother Marcus Junius said at the time.
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