A Waynesburg woman who ran a red light in downtown Pittsburgh and killed a motorcyclist last summer will not serve time behind bars. Amy Robinson was sentenced today to five years of probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving in the July 14, 2024, crash that killed 67-year-old James “JC” Christopher. The judge ordered her to spend the first eight months on electronic home monitoring and to pay a $300 fine.
Sentence And Home Monitoring
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Randal B. Todd imposed the probation term and told the courtroom, “there’s nothing I can do to make this right,” according to TribLIVE. Robinson had originally faced a homicide-by-vehicle charge before prosecutors and defense attorneys reached a plea deal that left her with convictions for involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving. In addition to electronic monitoring and the fine, she faces possible administrative action on her driver’s license through the state.
What Investigators Found
Surveillance footage and court documents show a Ford F-150 entered the Grant Street intersection at Boulevard of the Allies while the traffic light was red and struck Christopher’s Harley-Davidson. Christopher later died at UPMC Mercy, as reported by WPXI. Prosecutors say the video indicates the light had been red for about nine seconds before impact, and data from the truck’s event recorder showed Robinson did not hit the brakes until just before the collision. Police records filed in the case state the truck was traveling at or below the posted 25-mile-per-hour speed limit.
Family’s Words In Court
Family members described Christopher as a protector and a steady presence in their lives, and his daughter Heidi told the court he had been sober for nearly 21 years before his death, according to TribLIVE. Addressing the court at sentencing, Robinson apologized and said, “I was not speeding. I was not drunk.” Judge Todd acknowledged that, whatever the sentence, the law could not restore what the family had lost.
Plea Deal, Penalties And What Comes Next
The plea agreement resolved the more serious homicide-by-vehicle charge that prosecutors initially filed and left Robinson with the involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving convictions that form the basis of her probation. She will serve the electronic home monitoring portion first and then remain under probation supervision for the rest of the five-year term. State officials could still move to suspend or otherwise restrict her driving privileges through separate administrative proceedings. The family also retains the option of filing a civil lawsuit, although attorneys on both sides had not announced any such action as of the sentencing hearing.
Case That Put Downtown Intersections Under A Microscope
Robinson’s case first drew widespread attention last summer when the deadly downtown crash sparked fresh questions about intersection safety and red light compliance in Pittsburgh. For earlier coverage of the July collision and the initial set of charges, see reporting from WPXI.
