TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A judge sentenced a man convicted of killing a 12-year-old girl while authorities said he was boating under the influence.
41-year-old Andrew Miltner was found guilty of ‘vessel homicide’ on Thursday for the boating crash that killed 12-year-old Jasina Campbell.
Officials said around 7 p.m. on May 17, 2020, a boat was traveling west in the Alafia River with about six kids and three adults onboard. The boat was also towing two girls on a tube.
Police said Miltner’s boat struck the two girls, resulting in Jasina disappearing under the water. 12-year-old Jasina was later recovered by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office dive team.
Officials later determined Miltner was boating recklessly and under the influence at the time of the incident.
“May 17, 2020 was a day that ripped a hole in our family,” said Jasina’s grandfather David Campbell.
“Jjasina will be 15 in November. I should be helping her study for her drivers test,” said Jasina’s father Jason Campbell. “I’ll never get to see her go to her senior prom, walk her down the aisle, maybe even have grandkids one day, all because of this senseless act.”
During the sentencing, the family of Jasina asked the judge for the maximum punishment allowed.
“My plea to you is to give him the max sentence as he has zero remorse and he is going to kill or hurt someone else. It’s just a matter of time,” said Coquina Gibbs Gillian, Jasina’s mother who was on the boat the day she died. “The grief of losing a child cannot be summed into words,” she said.
“If we make a bad choice that results in the death of a person shouldn’t there be consequences for that decision?” said Donna Campbell, Jasina’s grandmother.
Miltner was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by eight years probation. After prison, he must enroll in the Phoenix House rehabilitation program for 18 months. If he doesn’t stay in the program, he will go back to prison. He must also attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for the duration of his probation.
