Man sentenced 8.5 years for killing father of 2 in WA police chase
Man sentenced in deadly Tumwater crash
A man accused of killing a father of two in November appeared in court today. Matt Orr, who allegedly fled Thurston County deputies at speeds of 100 mph to avoid a speeding ticket, ran a red light and crashed into 33-year-old Dane Nielsen, killing him.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The man who pleaded guilty to killing a father of two while fleeing from deputies in a high-speed chase was sentenced to 8.5 years behind bars.
Deadly WA crash
On November 14, 2024, Matt Orr blew through a red light and crashed into 33-year-old Dane Nielsen.
Orr was fleeing from Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputies. In court, the state said Orr was driving 100 mph to get away from deputies.
The state said, at points in the chase, Orr drove so fast that dashcam footage shows deputies lose sight of Orr.
"By Mr. Orr’s own statements to law enforcement afterward, he didn’t want another speeding ticket because he was concerned that his license was going to be suspended," the state said during the hearing.
Emotions in the courtroom
What they're saying:
In the courtroom, Nielsen’s family and loved ones sat inches away from Orr. Nielsen’s mom and wife spoke during the hearing.
"My son was brutally and senselessly taken from me because of the decision and actions of the defendant, Matthew Orr," said Nielsen’s mom, Dee Dee Nielsen.
During the hearing, the defense admitted guilt but asked for leniency in the sentencing, which would have spared two years from Orr’s time behind bars.
However, the judge ruled to impose the full 8.5-year sentence on Orr.
"Our children’s lives will forever have a gaping, dad-sized hole that will never go away," said Nielsen’s wife Tiffany Nielsen.
Defense blames law enforcement
The other side:
Orr apologized to the family in the courtroom. However, despite admitting guilt, the defense still focused some of the blame of this tragedy on deputies.
"There’s a reason why he didn’t stop this time when he did every other time," said the defense. "There were circumstances happening that night that caused him to be scared. To not stop like he had before and it was the conduct of the other vehicle that was trying to stop him approaching him with lights off, in a dangerous manner almost ramming into him three times," said the defense.
In court, the state said law enforcement is allowed to pursue.
"Bottom line, if you are getting pulled over by law enforcement, you should stop. That is all Mr. Orr had to do, but he didn’t do it in this case. And in this case, his actions had grave consequences," the state said during the hearing.
At the time of the deadly crash last fall, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders addressed the tragedy.
He also shared the GoFundMe raising money for Tiffany Nielsen.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.