Man Who Killed UFC Veteran Ryan Jimmo Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison
Anthony Getschel, the man who recently pleaded guilty in the hit-and-run death of UFC veteran Ryan Jimmo, was sentenced on Monday to eight years in prison.
Getschel and friends had been out drinking before following Jimmo's vehicle into the parking lot of a night club on June 26, 2016. After parking, Jimmo apparently got out of his vehicle and confronted Getschel, whom he believed to have been driving aggressively.
Following their verbal altercation, Jimmo walked back toward his vehicle, but was run over by Getschel; who then fled the scene, dropped off his friends, hid his vehicle, and went home. Jimmo was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later.
On Monday, Getschel was given a six-year sentence for manslaughter and two years for leaving the scene of an accident.
"The case before me this morning is a complete tragedy," said Edmonton Court of Queen's Bench Justice Paul Belzil, according to a CBC report. "A young man died for nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Getschel, 26, will also be prohibited from driving for eight years after he is released from prison.
The CBC report noted that hours before the incident, Jimmo had proposed to girlfriend Roxie Reece, who was in Jimmo's vehicle and witnessed Getschel run him down.
TRENDING > Dana White Lays Out Worst-Case Scenario for Khabib Nurmagomedov
"(Ryan) taught me how to identify and embrace my strength," Reece wrote in a victim impact statement. "The very things he taught me were those that also equipped me to get through this."
Hailing from New Brunswick, Canada, Jimmo was a popular fighter on the Canadian mixed martial arts circuit. He was the reigning Maximum Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder when he made the jump to the UFC in 2012, where he had a mixed record of 3-4. He finished his career with an overall record of 19-5.
Jimmo was 34 years old at the time of his death in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
