The sentencing hearing for the man who hit and killed a woman and injured an RCMP officer while fleeing from police in a U-Haul took place on Wednesday. Peter Ashby was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, flight from police, and assaulting a police officer earlier this year. He was also found guilty of stealing a car that had a child inside. In February 2024, 45-year-old Kassandra Gartner hit a police spike belt meant for Ashby. While she was outside her vehicle examining her tire, she was hit and killed by a U-Haul driven by Ashby, who was on the run from police. The U-Haul hit a second vehicle head-on before Ashby drove to a 7-Eleven parking lot and stole a car with a child inside. On Wednesday, court heard victim impact statements ahead of Ashby’s sentencing. In a statement read by the Crown, Gartner’s mother said she still has trouble sleeping more than two years after the incident and expressed sadness for Gartner’s daughters who are now growing up without their mother. She talked about Garner’s compassion for others and how she started volunteering as a teenager, something that continued throughout her life. Gartner’s sister talked about the trauma of the experience. “For almost three years I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that my only sister is dead,” she said. “She was my best friend, my confidant, my protector, my support system, my constant companion, my everything.” She said every U-Haul she sees reminds her of what happened to her sister, adding she recently had a flat tire on the side of the road, and she had a panic attack knowing her sister died in a similar situation. The man who was the victim in the dangerous driving causing bodily harm charge told the court he spent about a month in hospital after the crash and underwent multiple surgeries before spending another three months at the Glenrose for rehabilitation. He told the court of the “overwhelming pain” he was in after the crash. “In those moments I genuinely believed I may not survive,” he said. He said he thought of his three young daughters. In the years since the crash he says he has been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, and isn’t sure if he’ll ever be able to return to his career as an RCMP officer. The Crown is asking for a 15-year sentence, citing the severity of the offences and Ashby’s lengthy criminal history. The defence wants a sentence of seven years, saying Ashby’s untreated ADHD is a factor in his actions. The judge is expected to hand down a sentence next month. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
