Truck driver who killed 3 in crash, gets 7 years

Sheraz Khan kept his head bowed, occasionally wiping tears, as he was sentenced Friday to serve seven years in prison for causing the 2008 deaths of three people while recklessly driving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 295 in Cherry Hill.

Khan, 42, of West Babylon, N.Y., will be eligible for parole within six years.

He said little during the hearing in the crowded courtroom in Camden, where relatives of the victims - who included a CIA agent on vacation - cried as they described their losses.

Khan was driving home about 10:40 a.m. Sept. 11, 2008, in his 18-wheeler loaded with 12 tons of heavy machinery. Witnesses testified during his trial in December that the truck veered at a 45-degree angle across the highway, near the Route 70 overpass, and bounced across the grass median before hitting two southbound vehicles.

Philadelphians Juma Rajab and Renee Lesenko, both 44, were in a delivery truck. Lawrence M. Wright, 66, of Keller, Texas, was in a Volkswagen Beetle convertible. All died instantly, authorities said. Khan sustained minor injuries when his jackknifed truck rolled on its side.

Thomas Lesenko described his late wife of 19 years as his soul mate, lover and best friend. He told Judge Samuel D. Natal that his heart would be forever broken. His wife, he said, had a kindness and selflessness as she strove to make others happy.

The day of the accident, Lesenko said, he received a life sentence when he answered a knock at the door and was informed of his wife's death.

Four of Lesenko's siblings also appeared in court, some of whom spoke about their children saddened by the loss of their aunt.

"We're asking for justice to be served," said Lesenko's brother, Richard Miller, adding that his family would forgive Khan.

Relatives and coworkers described Wright, fluent in nine languages, as a patriot who traveled to dangerous corners of the world fighting terrorism.

Although no one in his family revealed his position with the government, officials afterward confirmed that Wright retired from the CIA, but returned when called back after the attacks on the World Trade Centers.

Relatives noted the irony that Wright survived his dangerous travels only to face death in the country he loved while on his way to meet a friend for breakfast.

Dedicated to his work, Wright never married. He found the love of his life - a little girl - on assignment in mountains of the Honduras, said Wright's younger sister, Marilyn Gore. He adopted the child, Carmen, and raised her in Texas.

Now 24, Carmen Wright told the judge she rarely thinks of Khan, only her father who saved her from disease and poverty.

"My dad was an extraordinary man," the daughter said.Khan rarely looked up as he stood next to his Cherry Hill defense attorney Peter Alfinito and spoke only briefly to answer questions.

Alfinito said Khan was deeply sorry for causing the deaths and that his family thought about the losses every night.

"It was an accident," Alfinito said, pointing out that Khan had no previous criminal history and minor driving infractions in his past.

Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Judy Berry painted a different picture of a man who admitted he illegally purchased steroids and kept the pills and a stash of marijuana in his truck. Additionally, he had pipes with screens and a half-smoked marijuana cigarette, Berry said.

Khan also fabricated or failed to maintain the federally mandated documents for commercial truck drivers.

"He did not lead a law-abiding life," Berry said. "He just got caught this time."

Berry had sought consecutive sentences. Khan could have faced up to 10 years for each victim.

In addition to the seven years each on three counts of vehicular homicide, Khan was sentenced to another four years to serve concurrently for drug possession.

A blood test showed Khan had smoked marijuana and taken steroids before the accident. During his trial in December, experts disagreed whether it could be proven when Khan took the drugs and whether he was impaired at the time of the accident. As a result, he was acquitted of driving under the influence.