Aidan Thomas Jarrett, 20, of the 300 block of Erie Avenue, Quakertown. Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
The defendant's friend who was racing with him – Evan Robert Buckman, of Marlborough Township – was acquitted at a jury trial in September.
While his co-defendant was acquitted of all charges three months ago and avoiding jail for vehicular homicide of a Hatfield woman, Aiden Jarrett was not as fortunate this week.
The 20-year-old Quakertown man was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in jail for taking the life of Ida Lillo, 62, in a May 2023 speeding crash on Bethlehem Pike/Route 309, reaching speeds in excess of 110 mph, according to The Mercury.
Jarrett, of the 300 block of Erie Avenue, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and aggravated assault by vehicle in the fatal crash, according to court records.
His friend who was racing with him – Evan Robert Buckman, 20, of the 4000 block of East Campbell Road, Marlborough Township – was acquitted at a jury trial in September. He will be fined or have his license suspended for summary charges of illegal racing, speeding, and reckless driving, per court documents.
Evan Robert Buckman, 20, of the 4000 block of East Campbell Road, Marlborough Township. Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Wendy G. Rothstein felt jail time was necessary for Jarrett’s decisions and reckless actions, per the report. After his release, Jarrett will serve his parole on electronic monitoring under house arrest, as well as 23 month of probation, per court documents.
Lillo’s husband, Louis Lillo III, was seriously injured in the May 17, 2023 crash as the driver, and ended up passing away 11 months later.
Jarrett was speeding while racing with another car driven by Buckman southbound on Bethlehem Pike, when Jarrett’s front bumper hit the passenger side door of Lillo’s car.
Jarrett told Lillo family members that he was an “immature kid who thought he was invincible” and will “carry this burden forever.”
Lillo family members openly wept and told Jarrett their lives were shattered, as he killed “a beautiful human being who was loved by so many.”
Read more on the court case here.
