5:17 p.m. November 1, 2005
SAN DIEGO – A motorist who struck and killed a Marine captain bicycling to work, then left the scene of the accident near Miramar, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison.
Jose Cifuentes, 58, pleaded guilty Sept. 27 to one felony count of hit-and-run causing death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
Advertisement[/url] Cifuentes was traveling about 40 mph on Kearny Villa Road when he hit USMC Capt. Patrick Klokow from behind last Aug. 23 about 6 a.m., prosecutor William Gentry said.
Even though the windshield caved in from the impact, Cifuentes didn't stop, the prosecutor said.
"He left a human being to die in the roadway, and it's morally repugnant," Gentry told Superior Court Judge David Danielsen.
Anne Klokow, also in the military and deployed in the Persian Gulf, spoke to the defendant via videotape about her late husband.
"Mr. Cifuentes, Patrick's death was not an accident," the widow said. "The most important person in my life, and you left him there to die. You need to be a better person. I want you to get up every day and think of my husband."
Klokow's mother, Myrna, said her son's death was "so unworthy of a proud Marine."
The victim's father, Richard, read a number of tributes written by enlisted Marines and officers on a special memento resembling a rowing oar.
"Patrick Michael Klokow, your presence can never be replaced and your memory will never be forgotten," read one of the notes.
Cifuentes was either inattentive, speeding, hurried, careless or a combination of those when he changed lanes and struck Klokow, killing him almost instantly, Gentry said.
Four hours after the accident, Cifuentes was stopped very close to the spot where he struck the victim and denied involvement, saying a load of lumber hit his car, the prosecutor said.
The defendant later admitted hitting the Marine after he was confronted with the results of a polygraph and other evidence, Gentry said.
Klokow served in Iraq in 2003 and received a medal for placing his vehicle in harm's way to protect his squadron, the prosecutor said.
"He was, by every account, a Marine's Marine," Gentry said.
At the time of his death, Klokow was on his way to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where he commanded a company that trains military instructors.
Deputy Public Defender Frank Barone said Cifuentes panicked and drove off after striking Klokow.
"This was a very bad decision on Mr. Cifuentes' part," the defense attorney said.
Cifuentes, who has three children and six grandchildren, is in poor health, suffering from advanced kidney failure, diabetes, liver disease and heart problems, Barone said.
The defendant – who had no prior criminal record – expressed remorse for the accident in a letter to the victim's family, read by Barone.
"For me, this loss has been like the loss of one of my children," Cifuentes wrote. "I pray for the soul of this great man."
In denying probation, the judge said, "This is not a minor accident, this is not a glancing blow. How could you leave a human being by the side of the road, and then lie about it?"
Danielsen called Cifuentes decision to leave the scene of the accident a "morally bankrupt decision, morally reprehensible."
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SAN DIEGO – A motorist who struck and killed a Marine captain bicycling to work, then left the scene of the accident near Miramar, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison.
Jose Cifuentes, 58, pleaded guilty Sept. 27 to one felony count of hit-and-run causing death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
Advertisement[/url] Cifuentes was traveling about 40 mph on Kearny Villa Road when he hit USMC Capt. Patrick Klokow from behind last Aug. 23 about 6 a.m., prosecutor William Gentry said. Even though the windshield caved in from the impact, Cifuentes didn't stop, the prosecutor said.
"He left a human being to die in the roadway, and it's morally repugnant," Gentry told Superior Court Judge David Danielsen.
Anne Klokow, also in the military and deployed in the Persian Gulf, spoke to the defendant via videotape about her late husband.
"Mr. Cifuentes, Patrick's death was not an accident," the widow said. "The most important person in my life, and you left him there to die. You need to be a better person. I want you to get up every day and think of my husband."
Klokow's mother, Myrna, said her son's death was "so unworthy of a proud Marine."
The victim's father, Richard, read a number of tributes written by enlisted Marines and officers on a special memento resembling a rowing oar.
"Patrick Michael Klokow, your presence can never be replaced and your memory will never be forgotten," read one of the notes.
Cifuentes was either inattentive, speeding, hurried, careless or a combination of those when he changed lanes and struck Klokow, killing him almost instantly, Gentry said.
Four hours after the accident, Cifuentes was stopped very close to the spot where he struck the victim and denied involvement, saying a load of lumber hit his car, the prosecutor said.
The defendant later admitted hitting the Marine after he was confronted with the results of a polygraph and other evidence, Gentry said.
Klokow served in Iraq in 2003 and received a medal for placing his vehicle in harm's way to protect his squadron, the prosecutor said.
"He was, by every account, a Marine's Marine," Gentry said.
At the time of his death, Klokow was on his way to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where he commanded a company that trains military instructors.
Deputy Public Defender Frank Barone said Cifuentes panicked and drove off after striking Klokow.
"This was a very bad decision on Mr. Cifuentes' part," the defense attorney said.
Cifuentes, who has three children and six grandchildren, is in poor health, suffering from advanced kidney failure, diabetes, liver disease and heart problems, Barone said.
The defendant – who had no prior criminal record – expressed remorse for the accident in a letter to the victim's family, read by Barone.
"For me, this loss has been like the loss of one of my children," Cifuentes wrote. "I pray for the soul of this great man."
In denying probation, the judge said, "This is not a minor accident, this is not a glancing blow. How could you leave a human being by the side of the road, and then lie about it?"
Danielsen called Cifuentes decision to leave the scene of the accident a "morally bankrupt decision, morally reprehensible."
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