Drink-driving US guardsman jailed for Irishwoman's death

A former US National Guardsman has been jailed for up to six years for killing a teenage dancer from Ireland while drink-driving.

The Pittsburgh judge said he initially thought Joseph Livoti deserved a longer sentence, but agreed to the plea bargain in part because of letters requesting leniency he received from the family of Margaret Brohan.

The letters expressed grief for the loss of "a marvellously talented human being”, and an appreciation for the remorse shown by Livoti, Judge David Cashman said.

“The compassion that the Brohans have shown is a tribute to Margaret, and I will not besmirch that memory,” he added as Livoti, who lives in Indiana, stood before him sobbing, his head hanging low.

Livoti, aged 27, who could have received up to 13 years in prison, was drunk when he smashed his car into one carrying Miss Brohan, aged 19, in November 2003.

His blood alcohol level was more than twice Pennsylvania’s legal limit for drivers, police said.

Miss Brohan, of Ennis, Co Clare, was in Pittsburgh performing in a show called the Rhythm of the Dance. She was killed instantly and two other show members were injured.

Livoti, who was assigned to a security detail at an air base at the time of the crash, was discharged from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard after the accident.

When he entered his guilty plea, Livoti said he needed to accept responsibility for what he had done.

On the first anniversary of the crash, he had Margaret’s initials, the date of the crash and a Celtic cross tattooed on his left forearm, said his lawyer, Sumner Parker.

He said Livoti wanted a constant reminder of what he had done. Mr Parker said he had never seen such remorse in a defendant.

“I wish more people understood the carnage that drunk driving causes,” said Parker, who also cried as he recounted the death of his teenage brother 20 years ago in a drunken driving crash. “I know Mr Livoti does.”