Bensalem man gets jail time for fatal car crash

A 19-year-old Bensalem man will serve time in prison for the December 2014 death of 16-year-old Minete Zeka. She was struck by his car and killed while she boarded a school bus.

Michael Shelly, the car's driver, was convicted of vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter and other offenses in July and sentenced Monday by Judge Gary Gilman to 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison, followed by five years probation. He will also be required to serve community service hours.

Zeka, a sophomore at Bensalem High School when she was killed, was boarding the school bus on a Wednesday morning when Shelly, disregarding the bus's lights and extended stop sign, sped around the bus and fatally struck her.

Bucks County assistant district attorney Jonathan Long said Zeka's family will continue to struggle with their grief even with the trial behind them.

"They were still trying to process a lot of it," he said. "It's a horrible case, and I don't know if there's anything that ultimately would have made the family really happy short of her being brought back."

- Matthew Nussbaum