'Simply trying to get home:' Bartender who just started new life was riding bicycle after work when he was killed by hit-and-run driver

A Louisiana teen who fled the country aft slamming into a bartender riding his bicycle location from enactment volition walk astir a decennary down bars.

Thomas Riggio III, 19, pleaded blameworthy successful October to hit-and-run causing decease for striking 36-year-old Michael Milam past twelvemonth adjacent New Orleans' famed French Quarter. A justice connected Friday sentenced Riggio to 9 years successful prison.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office said successful a statement to section NBC affiliate WDSU that Milam had conscionable finished his displacement successful the aboriginal greeting hours of July 12 and was riding his bicycle home. Meanwhile, Riggio had partied with friends that nighttime successful the area. He had cocaine successful his strategy and his humor intoxicant attraction was .07 astir 12 hours aft the crash.

Milam was trying to crook onto Alvar Street astatine St. Claude Avenue erstwhile Riggio struck him with his Infiniti and drove away, leaving him for dead.

"Riggio's actions ended the beingness of a hardworking New Orleanian who was simply trying to get home; and his determination to fly the country alternatively than assistance the unfortunate speaks volumes astir the seriousness of this crime," Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said successful a statement.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Milam had precocious moved from Houston to enactment astatine Cafe Lafitte successful Exile, a well-known cheery barroom connected Bourbon Street. Prior to returning to New Orleans, Milam spent respective years arsenic a bartender successful the Houston country and was known for his volunteering efforts successful the cheery assemblage there.

"Milam had precocious returned to New Orleans, a metropolis helium loved, to proceed his bartending vocation successful the bosom of the French Quarter's LGBTQ community," a GoFundMe said. "Though helium had been backmost lone a abbreviated time, his beingness was already being felt by colleagues and patrons alike."

For his part, Riggio apologized to Milam's household during the sentencing hearing.

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"Since the time of the accident, I've wanted thing much than to look each and each 1 of you successful the eyes and apologize," helium said, per the Times-Picayune. "I could not statesman to ideate however I would consciousness if immoderate of my 3 siblings were taken from maine … the mode I took your brother."

Also according to the newspaper, immoderate of Milam's siblings felt the hit-and-run complaint was excessively lenient, and that Riggio whitethorn person benefited from having a stepfather successful the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office.

District Judge Kimya Holmes pointed retired however Riggio's mediocre driving past seemed to escalate from slamming into different car portion doing doughnuts and speeding into a ditch successful a abstracted incident.

"He was charged with hitting idiosyncratic and not giving aid. Not adjacent stopping to spot what it was that helium hit. I conscionable don't recognize that. I don't recognize not seeing if you deed a human, not seeing if you deed a dog," Holmes reportedly said. "If helium would person conscionable stayed, nary of america would beryllium successful this concern close now."