The Jerusalem District Court sentenced Julio De La Guardia, the Spanish journalist who killed Jerusalem composer Chaim Tukachinsky last September in a hit-and-run accident, to seven years imprisonment on Sunday.
De La Guardia was convicted in June of manslaughter, abandonment after injury, driving while intoxicated and driving through a red light. He was also sentenced to a suspended sentence of 12 months imprisonment and must pay compensation in the amount of NIS 150,000.
As part of a plea agreement, De La Guardia admitted that on the night of the accident he met with friends and became drunk, according to a Walla! report. On his way home he became involved in a quarrel with three motorcyclists who cursed him in Arabic and Hebrew and banged on his car. One of the motorcyclists began chasing after him. De La Guardia sped away, crossed a red light and hit Tukachinsky who was crossing the street, mortally wounding him. De La Guardia did not stop his car following the accident and did not contact emergency services. He was arrested three hours after the accident.
Chaim's mother, Yael Tukachinsky, told Walla! "I accept the [plea] agreement but I want it to take effect as soon as possible. Remember that this man is sitting at home. The time has come for him to be punished."
"Thoughts of Chaim don't leave me for even a minute," Chaim's mother said. "Today is no different than any other day. Everything reminds me of him. The first Passover we celebrated without Chaim. His chair is empty on Shabbat. He doesn't come home. I don't need a reminder. Every evening he would call me on Skype after his performances. Those are the hardest times for me now and the absence of his calls is a daily reminder."
Tukachinsky was walking back from prayers at the Western Wall at the time of the accident. He was a well-known composer and had graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.