‘I’m sorry’: Driver who killed Halifax pedestrian apologizes as he’s sentenced to 4 years

Deepak Sharma enters Halifax provincial court with his lawyer and a sheriff on Sept. 22, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic)

A man who pleaded guilty in connection with a fatal hit-and-run collision in Halifax has been sentenced to four years in prison.

The judge, who accepted a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence, handed down the sentence on Monday.

Deepak Sharma will also be prohibited from driving for 10 years upon his release from prison.

“The sentence that was imposed today is at the higher end of the range for offences of this type in this province,” said Crown prosecutor William Mathers.

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According to the agreed statement of facts, Sharma was speeding down a 50 km/h road at 126 km/h when he struck 21-year-old Alexandria Wortman as she walked in a marked crossing in January.

Instead of stopping, Sharma kept driving with Wortman wedged to his windshield, only coming to a halt when he hit a parked car in an intersection.

Wortman went to hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

The facts state Wortman, a Dalhousie University student, suffered multiple blunt force traumas including a fracture of the cervical spine, multiple contusions of the lungs bilaterally, lacerations of internal organs and a right temporoparietal fracture of the skull.

In July, Sharma pleaded guilty to negligence causing death and two counts of fleeing the scene of an accident. A manslaughter charge was withdrawn as part of the plea deal.

An impaired driving charge was also dropped because he was not impaired.

“It was senseless and avoidable,” said Mathers. “And if there is a takeaway from this, I think we, as a community, need to stop treating driving as a right and not a privilege.”

‘Every parent’s nightmare’

Family members and loved ones of Wortman shared their victim impact statements with the court on Monday, expressing the long-lasting shock and grief from the incident.

“I am living every parent’s nightmare: the death of their child,” wrote mother Susan Wortman. “No parent should ever have to open their door to 2 RCMP officers to describe their child’s tattoos -- only to be told they match those found on the deceased.”

“My life effectively ended January 27, 2025, when my beloved Alex was unexpectedly, brutally, and violently torn away from this world,” said father James Wortman. “I can’t put into words the sense of loss and despair that comes with losing a child too soon, and I hope none of you in this room today ever have the opportunity to truly know what it feels like.

“I will never get to dance with Alex at her wedding, I will never see her beauty and intelligence reflected in the eyes of my grandchildren.”

Wortman’s family said she was someone who had so much to offer the world and would fight for people who had been wronged.

“Alex was one of a kind,” Susan Wortman said. “An old soul who somehow ended up teaching me more about life, compassion and purpose than I ever taught her.”

“Alex was generous, intelligent, independent, curious, compassionate and headstrong from the time she learned to walk and talk,” Jason Wortman said. “Before each Christmas she would purge her toys and clothes, she knew she was going to be spoiled again and wanted to donate as much as she could to less fortunate children.

“I know I am a more tolerant, accepting, decent, caring and open-minded man for having known her.”

Sharma apologizes for actions

Sharma took the chance to speak in court Monday, acknowledging nothing he could say would “alleviate the devastating impact” of his actions that night.

He told the court part of him wishes blood samples did show he was impaired to explain his “sociopathic actions.”

Sharma also said he doesn’t have any memory or explanation for his “senseless actions” that night.

He admitted he was driving at “insanely dangerous speeds on a congested street with pedestrians and children” and finished by saying he “took the life of a human being and destroyed the life of her family and friends.”

“I’m sorry for the pain and suffering I’ve caused,” Sharma said.

Sharma hit two other vehicles that night

Police responded to a collision at the corner of Robie Street and Veterans Memorial Lane around 5:47 p.m. on Jan. 27.

According to the statement of facts, Sharma was driving a black Honda Civic that evening when he also rear-ended another vehicle on Jubilee Road. Both drivers got out of their vehicles, but Sharma hopped back behind the wheel and fled the scene without giving his name or insurance.

The facts say Sharma hit the other driver in the hip with his Civic as he took off. The driver managed to photograph the Civic and called 911.

Sharma nearly hit another oncoming vehicle and a truck as he hit a speed of 126 km/h around Vernon Street, according to the facts. That’s when he hit Wortman, who was walking across Jubilee Road at a marked four-way stop.

Sharma continued driving and hit a parked car at the Jubilee Road and Robie Street intersection, at which point Wortman fell from the windshield.

People tried to help Sharma and Wortman at the scene, but the facts state Sharma screamed, “I’ll kill you.” He also charged at one of the people.

When police arrived on scene, they found Sharma doing push-ups and yelling. He then pushed an officer away and ran towards the Veterans Memorial Building before police arrested him.

The facts say Sharma has a history of violations under the Motor Vehicle Act and was also given two speeding tickets in New Brunswick in 2018.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith and Sean Mott

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