A Utah County deputy who struck and killed a BYU student in 2021 pleaded down to a misdemeanor Friday, effectively canceling his felony manslaughter trial that was scheduled to begin Monday.
Joe Richardson was initially charged with felony manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Joseph Spencer.
Under the terms of the agreement, Richardson agreed to not violate any law, be convicted of violating any law, or enter into a diversion or plea in abeyance to any such violation. He also agreed to keep the court notified of his current address, appear for any hearings scheduled in his case, and pay any court costs as ordered.
Data collected from Richardson’s vehicle showed that he was traveling at about 56 mph as he drove southbound on 900 East, where the speed limit is 35 mph, just before the fatal crash, a charging document states. After the wreck, Richardson rendered aid to Spencer, the document reads, but Spencer was declared dead at the scene. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, a medical examiner determined.
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