Milwaukee reckless driving: Jose Silva sentenced, 12 years in pastor's death
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man who pleaded guilty to homicide by use of a vehicle after a pastor was killed in a reckless driving crash was sentenced on Thursday, April 20 to 12 years in prison and another six years of extended supervision.
Jose Silva, 23, told the judge he will forever be on a path to right his wrongs. Two of his sisters also spoke to support him.
"I hoped and prayed many times for things to be different," Silva said.
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Abbie Strong, Pastor Aaron Strong's widow, also spoke before the court.
"I'm thankful he didn't kill more people. He killed my person, my best friend," said Strong. "The sentence you give him is temporary. Mine is permanent."
"I have to send a message that reckless driving will not be tolerated," said the judge.
The judge also ordered Silva to serve community service once he is released from incarceration.
Case details
Prosecutors said Jose Silva, 23, was behind the wheel of a car that ran a red light at 10th and Wells – crashing into the pastor's car in October 2022. Six total cars were involved – one driven by Silva, one driven by the pastor, and four that were parked.
At the scene, the criminal complaint states, Silva told police he had jury duty at the Milwaukee County Courthouse and was hurrying to get there. He claimed he thought he entered the intersection with a yellow traffic signal and was going close to the speed limit.
10th and Wells fatal crash
Silva's car hit the pastor's in the intersection, prosecutors said. The pastor, identified as 40-year-old Aaron Strong, was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. He died shortly after getting there.
According to the complaint, surveillance from Marquette University showed Silva's car speeding east on Wells Street at 21st Street prior to the crash. The car was seen driving eastbound in the westbound lanes, passing another car. The video also allegedly showed the car running a red light at 12th and Wells, also while driving the wrong way. The car ran the red light at 11th Street as well, prosecutors said.
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Finally, the complaint states, the surveillance showed the car speeding as it crossed over Interstate 43 before entering the intersection at 10th and Wells, colliding with Strong's car. The complaint states traffic on 10th Street was moving "consistent with the defendant having a red light."
Data from the airbag control module in Silva's car showed he was driving roughly 70 mph seconds before impact. The brakes were not applied until two seconds before impact, and the car didn't slow until a half-second before impact, per the complaint. When the airbags deployed, the car was going 56 mph.
The speed limit on Wells is 30 mph; the complaint states signs were "clearly posted" between 16th and 10th streets, where Silva's car was seen traveling.
Aaron Strong
Strong was the lead pastor at Milwaukee's Grace Lutheran Church.
Abbie Strong has become an advocate for tougher reckless driving penalties in Wisconsin. She testified in Madison last month.
A bill to double fines and sentences for reckless driving passed the Assembly in March and the Senate on Wednesday. Governor Evers will need to sign it to become law.