A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a truck driver who slammed into the back of a car on I-696 on June 23, 2022, killing a northern Michigan couple and setting off a six-vehicle chain reaction crash. Robert Fitzgerald Coker was found guilty at trial in 2024 of two counts of reckless driving causing death and is serving concurrent 7-to-30-year prison terms. Family members and local reporting have identified the victims as 69-year-old Barbara Kowalski and her husband, 72-year-old Patrick Kowalski.
Appeals Court Backs Jury’s Call
A unanimous panel consisting of Judges Thomas C. Cameron, Michael J. Kelly and Adrienne N. Young issued an unpublished opinion on Feb. 4, 2026, rejecting Coker’s arguments that the…..