Driver sentenced to 6 years after deadly crash in stolen truck

Derek Grouettewill spend six years in prison after pleading guilty toa deadly Calgary crash in a stolen truck.

Early on the morning of Feb. 18, Grouettewas driving a truck heading south in the northbound lanes of37Street S.W. when it collided with another vehicle.

The crash killed KeithMorley, 52, of Turner Valley, who was driving to work on his first day ofbeing a certified Red Seal carpenter.

Outside court Friday, siblings described Morley as a caring man who was very forgiving.

"Hopefully [Grouette]will take this time and straighten out his life. He made a promise to us that he would. Because I think he at least owed my brother this much for all the harm and chaos he caused," said Bruce Morley.

The six-year sentence was a jointrecommendation by Crown and defence lawyers.

Passengers also guilty

Two passengers in the truck were previously convicted.

In May, Janelle Umpherville, 26, pleaded guilty to a number of charges connected to Morley's deathincluding theft and being in a stolen vehicle.

The other passenger, the underage son of a Calgary police officer, pleaded guilty in June to being apassenger in the backseatduring a drive in a stolen vehiclemore commonly known as joyriding.

He was sentenced to one year probation. The boycannotbe named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, as he was 17yearsold at the time of the crash.

At Umpherville's trial, the court heard that the trio were driving around in astolen truck, stealing other items including an ATV that they planned to sellto fuel their meth habits.

When they were back on the Tsuut'inaNation where the trio planned to store those itemspolice tried to pull over the truck, butthey fled.

After crossingthe Fish Creek Bridge, the driver swerved into the oncoming lane, hittingKeithMorley's truck head-on.Morley died at the scene.