Woman released from prison after school bus crash that killed three siblings

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

An Indiana woman who was jailed for a school bus crash that killed three siblings has been released from prison after serving two years behind bars.

Alyssa Shepherd, 27, was behind the wheel of a pickup truck that sloughed into four children as they crossed a rural road to get on their school bus.

Shepherd was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2019 after being convicted on three counts of reckless homicide for the deaths of 9-year-old Alivia Stahl, and her 6-year-old twin half brothers Xzavier and Mason Ingle.

A fourth child, Maverik Lowe, was seriously injured and had to undergo 20 surgeries.

Following the accident, Shepherd told investigators that she did not realise she was approaching a stopped school bus, even though its lights were flashing and stop arm was activated.

She was sentenced to four years in prison following her conviction in December 2019, and was not due to be released until September 2022.

But she had an extra six months taken off her sentence for completing a Bible study course in prison.

Prosecutors say she now faces three years of home detention with a monitoring ankle bracelet, which will be followed by three years of probation.

“We obviously wanted more time, executed at the time of sentencing. The judge sentenced her to what he did, which was a 10-year sentence with four years executed, and then she got the time cut,” said prosecutor Michael Marrs.

Michael Schwab, the grandfather of the three dead youngsters, said Shepherd’s release is painful for his family.

“The story never ends for the family,” Mr Schwab told The South Bend Tribune.

“This is a life sentence for our family. Though she was granted early release and allowed to return to her family, there is no early release for our family and the children won’t be returning to us.”