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Utah man charged with killing bicyclist while he was driving under the influence

Bicyclist was killed on Timpanogos Highway in July 2020.

A Utah man has been charged with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, more than a year after he hit and killed a bicyclist on the Timpanogos Highway.

According to the charges filed Wednesday, Kenneth Julian Eugene Sepety admitted he hit the bicyclist on July 25, 2020. He “claimed he was looking down at his phone to change the music he was listening to” and “did not even know what he hit” until he saw the victim and his bicycle on the side of the highway.

Tests showed that Sepety had a blood alcohol level of 0.10%, twice the legal limit. The name of the victim was not released.

According to the Lone Peak Police Department, Sepety drove in a “criminally negligent” manner by drifting from an inside lane to an outside lane, crossing the outside fog line and striking the bicyclist. The police investigation found that Sepety’s line of sight was not obstructed, and that there was enough light for him to see the bicyclist without shining directly in his eyes.