Man convicted in crash that killed boy, 13

UPDATE:

Andrew James Marsh was found guilty of child abuse causing death, vehicular homicide-reckless driving and other charges. He will be sentenced on April 9. ____________________________________________________________________________

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A year after a multi-vehicle crash killer her son, a mother said she still has no closure.

Jamie Steckler Jr., 13, died after a crash Sept. 23, 2013 on Highway 85/87 in Fountain. Police said a truck slammed into the back of a Chevrolet, which was then pushed into the back of a Toyota. Both the Chevrolet and the Toyota had been stopped at a red light. Steckler was a passenger in the Chevrolet.

On the first anniversary of his passing, his family visited his grave site. They wore orange, his favorite color.

“It’s really important, because we want him to know that he’s always going to be a part of us, whether he’s here or not,” his mom Regina Steckler said.

Regina Steckler said they visit the site every Sunday. They play the music he liked, barbecue, and spend time with him.

“I feel kind of sad, because I miss him,” 9-year-old sister Triniti Steckler said. “Every time I come here, I feel like he’s here.”

Regina said it has been a difficult year for everyone – for her husband, her six other children and for relatives of Jamie.

“My whole world just died,” uncle Vincent Lovato said. “It’s hard, it’s like living it all over again.”

“To describe it, empty, very empty,” Regina Steckler said. “Our son was the joker, the light of the family.”

The driver of the truck that slammed into the Chevrolet the Stecklers rode in, Andrew Marsh faces nine charges. They include charges of child abuse resulting in death, child abuse resulting in bodily injury to a child, vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving, and driving under the influence of drugs.

His lawyer entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

“He had a traumatic brain injury from an IED in Iraq,” his lawyer, Dennis Hartley said in an interview last month. “He had no idea what was happening.”

Regina Steckler said those statements are “infuriating.”

“I’m angry for the fact that he’s in denial about his own wrongdoing. He did this and he doesn’t want to own up to it,” she said. “He’s the one who decided to get behind the wheel and drive in his condition, and if he was aware of his condition, he shouldn’t have been driving that day.”

She said the decision changed hers and her family’s lives forever.

“We’re never going to get to see him have his real first day, his driver’s license, go to prom, have his wedding,” she said. “We’re never going to get to see any of that.”

Amidst the sadness, there is hope. Regina Steckler’s one-month-old, Svenja suffered head injuries in the crash. Because of the injuries, there is too much fluid produced in her brain, and her head swelled. She had to have a permanent tube put in, from her head to her stomach, to drain the fluid. But she has made strides in her recovery process.

“She’s amazing,” Regina Steckler said. “She’s our little miracle.”