Warren man sentenced to prison in fatal pedestrian crash that killed 14-year-old

A Warren, Michigan, man will serve up to 15 years in prison over charges resulting from a fatal crash that killed a teenager in 2023. 

Justin Spangle was sentenced on Tuesday in Macomb County 16th Circuit Court. 

The conviction of operating while license suspended, revoked or denied – causing death received a penalty of 3 to 15 years in prison, court records show. The conviction of tampering with evidence received a penalty of 3 to 10 years in prison. The conviction of failing to stop at a scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death received a penalty of 2 to 5 years in prison. 

All terms will be served concurrently, with credit for days served. 

"This is a profoundly tragic case in which the defendant's allegedly foolish and unlawful conduct directly caused the death of a child," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido previously said about the incident. 

The crash happened about 4:25 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2023, along the eastbound I-696 entrance ramp from Groesbeck in Roseville. 

The victim, whom prosecutors described as a 14-year-old boy with autism, was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries. The teen had been reported missing from Warren. 

Shortly after the crash, authorities said Spangle arranged to replace the cracked windshield on his vehicle. 

Spangle was scheduled for trial on May 5, but instead entered no contest pleas to the charges.