Emotional Sentencing in Missoula Hit and Run Drunk Driving Case

In June of 2018, 22 year-old Rebecca Grace Romero was walking home on Phillips Street near Lowell School early in the morning when she was struck and killed by a pickup truck driven by then 26 year-old Daniel Grady.

Over a year and a half later, Grady was sentenced in Missoula District Court.

Attorney for the Romero family, Paul Ryan described what happened.

“Becca Romero was walking home when she was struck by the pickup truck driven by Daniel Grady,” said Ryan. “She was thrown under the vehicle and then Daniel Grady and his friends left the scene. After a very thorough investigation by the Missoula Police Department they were able to track him down through a broken light from his truck. He was arrested on an original charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence with the alternative charge of negligent homicide as well as leaving the scene of an accident.”

Ryan said Grady was sentenced on Tuesday after a plea agreement was reached.

“The sentence specifically was 20 years in prison with 11 years suspended on one of the charges and the other sentence was 10 years with nine suspended. In essence, the total sentence was 30 years with 20 suspended for a total of 10 years in the Montana State Prison,” he said.

Ryan said one of the reasons for his involvement is a civil lawsuit on behalf of the family against two establishments that serve alcohol in Missoula.

“There are a number of bars that Daniel Grady went to that night,” he said. “He went to the Oxford late that night and they rejected him for being too intoxicated, so he eventually went to two other bars where he was served, so we’re looking at that very closely on what is called a ‘dram shop’ action against those two establishments for a possible civil lawsuit against them.”

Ryan said the Romero family came from their home in California for the sentencing.