Man sentenced in crash that killed pregnant woman near Puyallup

A man whose pickup truck crashed into a taxi van, killing a pregnant woman inside, was sentenced to almost three years in prison Thursday.

Anderson Hamilton, 50, entered what’s known as an Alford plea to the charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, which means he pleaded guilty, but maintains he is innocent.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jerry Costello accepted the recommendation of prosecutors to sentence Hamilton to the high end of the sentencing range for vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

He gave Hamilton two years and 10 months for the homicide, and one year for the assault, to be served concurrently.

Shanna Huttenstine, 34, was killed March 4, 2014, when Hamilton’s pickup crossed into oncoming traffic at state Route 167 and 44th Street near Puyallup, hitting the left side of the taxi carrying the woman and her fiance, Jason Speers.

The taxi driver also suffered significant injuries.

Washington State Patrol troopers said Hamilton had needles in his pocket and struggled to stay awake while being questioned.

Speers was escorted to Hamilton’s sentencing from the Pierce County Jail, where he is being held on unrelated charges for allegedly driving under the influence.

Speaking of crash that killed his pregnant fiancee, he told the court: “I feel that I lost not just one person, but two people that night.”

Speers told the judge he thought a sentence of 10 to 15 years would be appropriate for Hamilton.

“I’ll never get to see my child grow up,” he said. “I’ll never get to see the love of my life again.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 7:31 PM with the headline "Man sentenced in crash that killed pregnant woman near Puyallup."