KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County judge ruled on Wednesday afternoon that Jerron Lightfoot, a 20-year-old man from Tonganoxie, Kansas, will serve a 10-year prison sentence for the deaths of Kansas City Police Officer James Muhlbauer, K-9 Champ, and victim Jesse Eckes in a 2023 crash.
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Lightfoot pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter back in February . According to a news release, prosecutors asked the Jackson County judge for a 10-year sentence while Lightfoot’s attorneys sought probation.
“We are very satisfied with the outcome, and we will continue to live day to day and see where the next chapter takes us,” said wife, Cassie Muhlbauer.
“I felt like he should have definitely taken responsibility,” Muhlbauer said. “Currently, I don’t think I can forgive him, but maybe in time.”
In the courtroom, the judge discussed how embedded the concept of time was in this case and in the evidence and how every person in the room felt the devastating impact of that day.