SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The journey to justice for one widow just got longer, after a hearing on Friday revealed her late husband's case might move to trial.
Matthew Keenan, 42, was killed in a head-on collision on September 14, 2021, when a car hit him while he was riding his bike.
"It keeps the door open for us," said Laura Keenan, Matthew's wife, still unsure if a jury trial will be a positive or a negative thing.
According to Laura, she was expecting the woman charged in Matthew's death, Melissa Gonzalez, to enter a "guilty" plea on Friday in court.
Gonzalez did not plead guilty and a trial date has been tentatively scheduled for May 9.
"I was in shock a little bit," said Laura.
For weeks, Laura and the San Diego County Bike Coalition asked members of the public to write letters to the presiding judge, asking for harsher punishment for Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is facing a misdemeanor charge. According to a tweet, more than 70 letters were sent to the judge.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
— San Diego County Bike Coalition (@sdbikecoalition) February 24, 2023
The sentencing hearing for the driver who killed Matt Keenan has been postponed. The judge is considering additional charges.
Thank you to all 70+ of you that wrote letters!
"I'm really encouraged that we can show our legal system that the public wants to hold drivers accountable to keep everyone on our roads safe," said Laura.
A pretrial readiness conference is scheduled for March 8.
