No jail time possible in killing of Phillip Bishop

Driver charged in bicyclist's death waives hearing

Delaware On-line -- The DuPont Co. manager charged with killing a bicyclist this month in Hockessin and fleeing the scene has waived a preliminary hearing and his case will be bound over to Superior Court pending indictment.

Phillip Bishop (photo from WNJ)

Gabriel F. Pardo, 44, faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. If convicted of both felonies, under Delaware law he could face zero to 13 years in prison but sentencing guidelines used by Delaware judges urge no more than three years, three months behind bars.

Phillip Bishop, 27, an aspiring teacher who worked at PureBread Deli in Greenville, was "lawfully riding his bicycle" home from work when was was struck and killed about 8:45 p.m. on Sept. 12 on Brackenville Road, about a mile from his house in Stuyvesant Hills. Bishop was wearing his helmet with a head lamp, flashlight and his bike had a rear flashing red marker light. [Continue reading ...]

Poster's note: If the sentence carries no jail time in a case like this, it sends a clear message that, as long as you're in a car, it's open season on bicyclists and pedestrians. Amy Wilburn, Chair of the Delaware Bicycle Council, is following this story (and that of Eloy Sandoval-Mateoz) very closely and will provide case updates. A call to action may be necessary. Stay tuned.

Visit our Casualties category for earlier posts on this subject.