Man sentenced to 6½ years in prison for killing married couple in Spokane crash

A 46-year-old man charged with killing a married couple in a 2023 Trent Avenue crash was sentenced earlier this month to 6½ years in prison.

Kelly U. Dockins pleaded guilty March 5 to vehicular homicide (reckless manner) before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michelle Szambelan handed down the sentence.

Michaele Zadekian, 53, and Steven Harnasch, 44, died of blunt force injuries of the head, neck, torso and extremities in the three-vehicle crash on Aug. 11, 2023, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Witnesses told police Dockins, who was driving a Ford Explorer, was pulling out of the SERVPRO driveway, 4625 E. Trent Ave., onto Trent Avenue when he collided with a westbound silver Mitsubishi Lancer. The Mitsubishi was pushed in front of an Avista Utilities commercial vehicle, which struck the vehicle a second time, witnesses said in court records.

The Avista driver told police Dockins got out of the SUV, approached the Mitsubishi and became distraught, saying something akin to, “Oh my God, they’re dead.”

Dockins told police he caused the crash and corroborated witnesses’ descriptions of it.

He said as he started to pull his car out of the gravel parking area of SERVPRO, he looked left and right and started entering Trent Avenue when he struck a westbound vehicle. He said the vehicle swerved to avoid a crash, causing it to lose control before colliding with the other vehicle.

Police believed Dockins was impaired based on field sobriety tests, according to documents. It was unclear whether police determined he was impaired.

According to Zadekian’s obituary, she was a registered nurse with three sons and four grandchildren. Zadekian loved photography, motorcycle rides and her dogs, the obituary said.

Szambelan ordered Dockins, who has no prior felonies, to serve 18 months of community custody when he’s released from prison.