An Indiana woman who killed three children with her vehicle after ignoring a stop sign at a school bus stop has had her prison sentence reduced after completing a Bible study program.
On Oct. 30, 2018, Alyssa Shepherd, who was driving a truck, ignored an extended stop sign on a school bus and plowed into a group of children in Fulton County. She killed three members of the same family – Alivia Stahl, 9, and Mason and Xzavier Ingle, 6-year-old twins, and injured a fourth child from the family, reported WTHR-TV. In court, Shepherd claimed she failed to see the sign.
Shepherd was found guilty on several charges, and in December 2019, a court sentenced her to four years in prison followed by three years of house arrest and three years of probation. She was originally scheduled to be released from prison in September, but her time was cut short by six months after she agreed to participate in a Bible study program called “Plus Faith 2.0: Criminal Lifestyle, Attitudes & Behavior.”
The parents of the dead children opposed the move. Last fall, they issued a statement saying that Shepherd has never apologized for her actions.
“To this day Shepherd has not taken responsibility for her actions, has never even apologized for killing our children and has never shown remorse for her actions,” family members said. “She received a 6 month reduction in her sentence for simply completing a Bible Study class which we feel was absurd.”