A man who killed Gone Girl actor Lisa Banes has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter.
Brian Boyd, 27, was taken off in handcuffs after the sentence was returned in the Manhattan courtroom by Judge Gregory Carro.
Carro said that Boyd had ran a red light on his scooter before crashing into Banes as she crossed the road in June 2021.
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Banes was badly injured and died 10 days later in hospital.
The judge went on to discuss how New York City ‘has a problem’ with the electric and gas powered scooters and said he wanted to send a message to those riding them that they can be sent to jail if they cause harm.
Boyd had previously spoken about how he was ‘extremely sorry’ for the incident, after which he sped away from the scene and went for a beer at a nearby bike shop.
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He signed an agreement before he pleaded guilty to manslaughter back in September, which was reflected in his sentence.
Banes, 65, was well known for her role in Gone Girl but also acted alongside Tom Cruise in Cocktail and featured in TV shows such as Nashville, NCIS, and Masters of Sex.
She had also performed a number of times on Broadway.
Banes’ wife Kathryn Kranhold asked the judge to impose a ‘very significant term of imprisonment’ on Boyd, who she claimed was in line to benefit from a ‘very sweet plea deal’.
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Journalist Kranhold made an emotional representation to the court speaking about her feelings when Banes didn’t show up for dinner, to when she saw her bloodied and comatose on a life-support machine in the hospital.
"My life stopped at that moment," Kranhold recalled.
She described her wife’s ‘love for life’ and described her as a ‘fierce defender of justice for everyone’.
However, she went on to describe Boyd as a ‘danger to anyone in New York City, to anyone crossing the street’ and said: "He cared more about his bike.”
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The Assistant District Attorney Erin LaFarge had urged Judge Carro to get rid of the terms of the plea bargain and increase the sentence from three years to nine years because Boyd lied to an officer of the court following his plea.
She said that a video recording of the crash confirmed that Boyd’s claims to have stopped to help Banes, as well as his claims that she was distracted by her phone when crossing the road, were clearly wrong.
LaFarge said: "All of this is demonstrably false.
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"He has not learned anything from this experience, and that is a terrifying thought."
She also pointed out that Boyd had claimed to know nothing about the incident when police tracked him down weeks later.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement: “Lisa Banes was a beloved friend, family and community member whose life was tragically cut short.
“New York City continues to mourn her loss with them, and it is my sincere hope that her loved ones are able to heal and recover.”
Topics: US News, Film and TV, Crime, New York
Tom Wood