INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Court of Appeals has overturned a semi-driver’s conviction for a deadly Cass County crash, saying the jury should have heard evidence the other driver was using Snapchat just before the wreck.
The court handed down its ruling Monday in the case.
A jury convicted Jaspreet Singh on a count of reckless homicide for the March 1, 2021, crash that killed Jamie Pay, 24.
According to investigators, Singh was traveling south on U.S. 35 when he missed the turn for U.S. 24. Singh then stopped his truck in the highway’s left lane, activated the hazard lights, and began backing up on the highway.
Police say Pay’s SUV then crashed into the rear of the semi, traveling at more than 75 miles per hour.
An Indiana State Police investigator found Pay had sent a Snapchat message just seconds before the crash, and that Pay never applied the vehicle’s brakes before impact. That evidence was never presented during the trial.
The appeals court ruled the judge in the case made an error by not letting the jury hear that evidence.
“Here, without the introduction of the Snapchat evidence or the evidence about distracted driving, the jury did not have the full picture of this tragic situation,” Judge Terry Crone wrote. “We cannot expect a jury to fulfill its duties in a vacuum.”
Singh was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison in the case.
Prosecutors must decide whether to schedule a new trial or appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court.
