Rochester Man Gets 5 Years for Crash That Killed Centralia Teen

Donald Siegler was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to driving a vehicle while high on marijuana and causing a collision that killed 18-year-old Centralia resident Cheyllyn R. Collinsworth in May 2017.

Throughout the more than one-hour long hearing in Thurston County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon, the sound of muffled crying from the crowd was not uncommon.

Cheyllyn Collinsworth was killed weeks before graduating high school and had aspirations to pursue a career in teaching. Her mother and aunt addressed Judge John Skinder. In their often-tearful addresses, they focused on what the loss has meant to family, friends and to themselves.

Deborah Collinsworth read a portion of her daughter’s obituary and spoke of the future she had planned before her untimely death, sometimes addressing Siegler directly.

She tried to describe the sense of loss she has felt since then.

Cheyllyn Collinsworth brightened the lives of her family and friends, her mother said, and was driven. Her eyes were donated after her death, and have since gone to two recipients.

She read samples of Cheyllen Collinsworth’s writing, including one directed toward a younger version of herself, where she encouraged herself to be strong and confident.

“Marijuana kills just like alcohol when you choose to drive impaired,” Deborah Collinsworth said.

Additionally, she said her daughter — who was described many times as a person of faith — believed in forgiveness, and would want her family to forgive Siegler for his actions.

“But I am not there yet,” she said, and recommended to the judge that Siegler receive the hardest penalty available, while noting no sentence will diminish her still-fresh grief.

Deborah Collinsworth recommended Siegler reflect on himself during his incarceration, and determine the person he wants to be upon his release.

Siegler spoke briefly and softly, and almost exclusively to Cheyllyn Collinsworth’s family, turning around from his spot at the podium. He said the wrong person died that day, and that he would do anything to take it back. He chose not to address the judge.

Skinder acknowledged the grief the family experienced, and continues to experience, numerous times. He called vehicular homicide cases among the most difficult. In such cases, an innocent person is killed, but the death is almost always the result of an accident, he said.

“My heart truly goes out to you,” he said.

Skinder also said he believed Siegler truly was remorseful.

The 60-month sentence was the result of negotiations between Deputy Prosecutor Olivia Zhou and Siegler’s counsel Sax Rodgers. While family members may have wanted Siegler’s sentence to be harsher, Skinder said, the sentence was negotiated and, to him, seemed a fair one. It was already an exceptional sentence, meaning it went above the standard sentencing range for the charge. Vehicular homicide in a reckless manner carries with it a standard range of 21 to 27 months.

Additionally, Skinder said, if Siegler is convicted of a future DUI, the sentence would also be harsh.

The case stems from a collision on May 17, 2017, on Old Highway 99 in Grand Mound.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded just past midnight May 18. Collinsworth was unconscious when they arrived and died before she could be airlifted.

Siegler was injured and hospitalized.

Witnesses said Siegler’s car crossed the centerline, striking the other vehicle head-on. A blood test revealed his THC level was 6.5 ng/mL. The legal limit for THC while driving in Washington is 5 ng/mL of active THC.

On Dec. 6, 2018, Siegler pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and DUI.