[R]UTLAND – A prosecutor is asking a judge to hand down a 25-years-to-life sentence to a man who pleaded guilty in a hit-and-run crash that killed Tinmouth farmer Leo Branchaud two years ago as he walked in front of his home.
It’s a case in which Thomas Velde Jr.’s mother has already been sentenced to jail time after admitting she tried to take the blame for her son’s action by telling police initially that she was the person who drove into and killed the 57-year-old farmer.
A sentencing hearing in Thomas Velde’s case had been set for Tuesday in Rutland County Superior criminal court.
That proceeding did not take place, but instead was continued to give Velde’s attorney more time to review a pre-sentencing investigation conducted by the state Department of Corrections in the case.
No new sentencing date has yet been set.
However, Rutland County State’s Attorney Rose Kennedy, who is prosecuting Velde, did file a sentencing memo with the court ahead of Tuesday’s planned hearing. In that filing, Kennedy is asking the judge to impose a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
“(Velde) has demonstrated that he is willing to break the law, put others at risk, harm and kill others and have his family cover for him,” Kennedy wrote. “A minimum of 25 years to serve sends a clear message that his behaviors will not be tolerated.”
Velde pleaded guilty in March to charges of leaving the scene with death resulting and gross negligent operation with death resulting. Both charges carry habitual offender enhancements, meaning each could be punishable by up to life imprisonment.
Velde’s trial had started in March, with the prosecution wrapping up its case when Velde agreed to plead guilty to the two felony offenses.
As part of an agreement, prosecutors are permitted to ask for a sentence of up to life in prison, while his attorney, William Cobb, can argue for any lesser sentence.
Cobb could not immediately be reached Tuesday for comment, and he did not submit a memo to the court outlining what he will be seeking for a sentence.
Velde has been jailed since he was arrested in the case more than two years ago.
According to police, as Branchaud walked in front of his home on Gulf Road in Tinmouth on April 22, 2016, he was struck and killed by a Chevy pickup Velde was driving.
As police investigated the crash, Velde’s mother, Lisa Velde, told them she was driving when it happened.
She was later charged and pleaded guilty last year to a felony offense of impeding law enforcement. She was later sentenced to one to three years in jail, with all but eight months suspended.
The tiny Rutland County town of Tinmouth, population 613, rallied around Branchaud’s widow, Tami Carboni, following the death of her husband, volunteering to help keep the farm up and running following his death.
Community members worked in shifts to ensure the cows continued to be milked to maintain their value before they were eventually sold off.
In her recent filing arguing for a sentence of at least 25 years behind bars for Thomas Velde, Kennedy pointed to his lengthy criminal record that includes eight felony and 33 misdemeanor convictions spread over 19 years.
“How is it possible that a man who has not had a valid driver’s license since 1996 could still be driving and driving to such a degree to put the rest of the community at risk,” Kennedy asked her filing.
“The reality is that defendant has benefited for a desire to treat non-violent offenders rather than incapacitate them,” the prosecutor added. “But what defendant’s case demonstrates in that even non-violent repeat offenders who are not rehabilitated can cause irreparable harm to the community.”