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Judge sentences tow truck driver to over 7 years in prison for killing cyclist: ‘You believe that you’re the victim of the situation’

Family and friends of Kerry Wiltzius respond to a guilty verdict for Jonathon Ryser, who hit and killed the woman while she was riding her bicycle near Mead in 2020. (Quinn Welsch/The Spokesman-Review)
By Garrett Cabeza garrettc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

A 49-year-old man was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for striking and killing a cyclist with a tow truck nearly three years ago.

A jury convicted Jonathon Ryser, of Coeur d’Alene, of vehicular homicide last month, and Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel handed down the sentence Friday.

“I do think, reading into your statements, that there’s an aspect where you believe that you’re the victim of the situation,” Hazel told Ryser. “And I’m here to tell you, based on a jury’s determination, you’re not.

“You’re not an evil person. There’s no indication of that,” Hazel added.

Jurors determined Ryser was driving a tow truck along Mt. Spokane Park Drive while high on drugs when he struck 65-year-old Kerry Wiltzius the morning of June 26, 2020. Wiltzius was an avid cyclist who was training for a triathlon.

Wiltzius flew through the air before eventually coming to rest in a ditch. She sustained a broken pelvis and ribs, a collapsed lung, head injuries, a spinal cord injury and other internal injuries, according to court documents. She was airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Wiltzius’ middle daughter, Kara Stucker, said Wiltzius should be enjoying her retirement.

“Instead, our gardens are growing over,” Stucker said. “Her grandkids are getting older. My dad sleeps alone every night. And we have only memories to share with each other.”

Wiltzius’ oldest child, Dawn Wiltzius, spoke of her own DUI conviction several years ago.

“I had empathy for you, in the beginning,” Dawn Wiltzius said. “However, I chose not to drag my family through a trial. Mr. Ryser, causing the death of another human is no small burden to carry.”

Ryser turned, with tears in his eyes, and apologized to the family for causing the crash.

Hazel rejected the defense’s argument that the fatal crash was an accident.

“This wasn’t an accident,” Hazel said. “But the court recognizes that you didn’t intend to hurt her. This was done without malice.”

Hazel denied an appeal bond, so Ryser will stay in jail, but he accepted a notice of appeal of the sentence from Ryser’s attorney, Steve Graham.