A Salt Lake City man was sentenced to prison Friday for up to five years for killing another man last year while driving under the influence of morphine.
Kelly Paul Walton, 57, had pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to third-degree felony automobile homicide for fatally injuring 54-year-old Kelly Dale Almond on March 17.
Almond, a roofer who was doing carpentry work that day, was standing at the side of his pickup truck, which was parked on 400 North near 300 West in Salt Lake City, when he was struck by Walton's eastbound vehicle.
A witness told police that Walton's vehicle "veered" to the right just before impact.
Almond -- a father of four -- died at a hospital three days later from head and abdominal injuries.
Walton told police he did not see Almond before he hit him. Charges were filed after a blood test revealed the presence of morphine in his system, according to charges.
Prosecutor Sandi Johnson said that while the source of the drug was never determined, it was determined that it did not come from any medication Walton had been prescribed.
Before he entered his plea, Walton was charged with a harsher second-degree felony count of causing death or serious bodily injury by operating a motor vehicle in a negligent manner and having a measurable amount of a controlled substance in the body.
