DETROIT – Tywaun Coakley will be sentenced Monday after a jury found him guilty in December of manslaughter with a motor vehicle.
Coakley faced several charges after 81-year-old Robert Ybarra's murder in July. He was accused of running over Ybarra in the 1600 block of West Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit.
Recommended Videos
Ybarra’s family said the Army veteran had recognized one of two men who were fighting on the side of the street, so he stopped to intervene.
The suspect initially took off in a car, but returned and hit Ybarra, pinning him against his own car. He suffered two broken bones, cracked ribs, and a head injury that ultimately ended his life the next day.
“He loved everyone,” said Ybarra’s daughter, Tanya Hensley. "He was one of those neighborhood dads that people could count on. If you needed groceries, he'd take you. He'd buy them."
Read back: Army vet dies after stepping in to break up fight in Detroit
Coakley was charged with second degree murder, manslaughter with a motor vehicle, failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault resulting in death, and felonious assault. The jury found him guilty of the manslaughter charge and not guilty of the rest.
He went in front of Judge Vonda Evans on Monday to learn his sentence and his prosecutor asked Evans for more time.
READ: Judge Vonda Evans scolds attorney after he accuses her of not being prepared for sentencing
Evans gave the prosecutor until 12:30 p.m.
Sign up for ClickOnDetroit breaking news alerts and email newsletters
Search for a specific story: