COLUMBUS, Ohio — Family members of a Columbus woman who died in an attempted car theft last year gave statements at a sentencing for one of the suspects, ranging from forgiveness to calls for justice.

Gerald Dowling Jr. was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for his role in the 2024 death of Alexa Stakel y, a former teacher who died trying to stop her car from being stolen with her 6-year-old child inside. He pleaded guilty in July to involuntary manslaughter.

Dowling, who was 19 at the time of the incident, is one of three people charged in the case. He was not behind the wheel of the stolen car that struck and killed Stakely, but prosecutors said he was present with two teenagers who attempted to steal the vehicle.

In the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Stakely's fam

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