His brakes failed, and the Tacoma pedestrian he hit died. Now he’s been sentenced
A driver who killed a pedestrian several years ago in Tacoma when his brakes failed was sentenced Thursday.
Kevin Lee Cochran, 53, pleaded guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to vehicular homicide for the Nov. 26, 2016 wreck that killed Peter Tuaau.
Judge James Orlando sentenced Cochran as a first-time offender to 90 days and gave him credit for 374 days he served while his competency to stand trial was evaluated.
That means he’d already served more time than he might have with a standard low-end sentence.
Deputy prosecutor Tim Jones wrote in a statement to the court that Cochran has minimal criminal history — a criminal trespass misdemeanor — and one prior driving infraction from 2013.
Defense attorney Laura Carnell told the judge that Cochran has said he’s not sure he’ll ever choose to drive again.
Cochran cried as he told the court he took full responsibility for what happened.
According to charging papers:
Tuaau, 42, was walking near an Interstate 5 ramp in Tacoma when Cochran’s Cadillac Escalade left the freeway and hit him in the 2800 block of East Portland Avenue, then crashed into a utility pole.
Cochran honked the Cadillac’s horn and swerved.
Police didn’t immediately realize Tuauu had been hit. They let Cochran leave, and he waited for a ride nearby.
Then investigators saw Tuauu on a hillside. He was pronounced dead at Madigan Army Medical Center.
Investigators found the Cadillac’s rear brake pads had worn away, resulting in a damaged rotor and brake fluid leak.
“This would have been extremely noisy for an extended period of time and very noticeable to the driver,” a mechanic wrote, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. “These items would cause complete brake failure.”
Tests showed Cochran had marijuana in his system as well as a drug used to treat depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 5:30 AM.
