Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper sentenced Joseph A. Vergara, 21, to three years, three months in prison.

Vergara entered a special plea Friday in which he maintained his innocence but acknowledged that prosecutors probably had enough evidence to persuade a jury to convict him.

Prosecutors contended Vergara was behind the wheel of a red Honda Civic that was traveling at high speed when it went out of control on July 26, 2007. The car hit a large rock, went airborne and smacked into a utility pole, according to court documents.

Backseat passenger Jessica Emerson, also 21, died at the scene.

In a victim impact statement submitted to Culpepper, her mother, Jane Emerson, wrote about her family’s sense of loss.

“Joe created a hole in our lives that can never be filled – a part of me died with her,” she wrote.

Adam Lynn, The News Tribune