FLORENCE, AZ — A Pinal County judge sentenced Adam Parker to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder and 10.5 years in prison for aggravated assault, concurrently.
Parker entered a guilty plea months ago after he hit and killed 28-year-old Elizabeth McAloon of Apache Junction and injured her 7-year-old daughter back in January.
On Saturday, January 20, McAloon and her daughter were struck while traveling on US 60 near Mountain View Road. They were headed home after helping at their church.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, they were called about a pickup truck driving aggressively through traffic. Later that evening, police received reports of a driver driving the wrong way. During the initial investigation, police found open alcohol containers in the truck. A police report also stated that Parker’s blood sample showed his BAC was 0.236.
Several people spoke out in court for McAloon, sharing with the judge that they wanted the maximum sentence before he made his decision.
“My heart aches every single day when I think about how her two children no longer have their mother. They no longer have their constant,” McAloon’s aunt said emotionally in court.
Parker himself also spoke before the sentence, apologizing to the family in his own words.
“I know the words, ‘I’m sorry,’ can’t make up for the trauma, pain and anger I’ve caused your family,” he continued. “I will forever live in guilt and regret for what I’ve done to you. If it was at all possible, I would trade my own life for hers at any time.”
His family and friends also offered their condolences, adding that Parker is a good man.
“He made a terrible choice that night and I know it’ll be with him forever. Still, to this day, Adam is not denying or challenging what happened. He’ll accept what’s handed down from the court,” a family friend of Parker’s said in court.
However, McAloon’s family feels the sentence was not enough, especially since Parker got out on bail after the crash and then went back after he violated his release orders not to drink.
The McAloon family experiencing a tremendous amount of loss, as Elizabeth’s older brother had died two years prior, too.
“Because of the loss of my daughter and the pain of my granddaughter, she now has to live without her mom. I don’t know that I accept his apology,” said Kimberly Surette, McAloon’s mother.
Their lasting message as this chapter closes:
“There is such thing as Uber. If you choose to drink and drive, be responsible,” Surette said.
ABC15 spoke with Elizabeth’s husband days after the crash. Her family told ABC15 she was extremely loyal to her faith and her family.
“She would always put 100% into it whether it was the kids, me or the church. You never had to ask her to try hard or do anything. You always knew she was trying her best,” McAloon's husband Nick said in January.
