A Connecticut judge has spared a private-school student prison after she admitted causing a fatal motorcycle crash while distracted by a message appearing on her mother’s Mercedes infotainment system. Her lawyer cited serious mental and physical health struggles that followed the collision.
Anngelina Morton, now 20, received a 10-year suspended prison sentence on Thursday after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of 31-year-old Justin Gittings. The crash occurred in September 2024 in the affluent Connecticut town of Farmington.
Gittings’ relatives reacted with anger and disbelief to the decision, which was delivered at Hartford Superior Court after an emotional sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said Morton was driving at about 41 mph when a text notification appeared on the luxury SUV’s dashboard screen. Distracted by the message, she crossed the center line and struck Gittings, who was riding his motorcycle in the opposite direction.
Gittings suffered catastrophic injuries, including the loss of a leg, which doctors amputated at the crash scene in an effort to save his life. He died four weeks later. Two friends traveling behind him on another motorcycle were also seriously injured.
Morton had celebrated her 18th birthday only five days before the collision.
Anngelina Morton was photographed outside Hartford Superior Court on Thursday after avoiding prison for the fatal crash that killed a motorcyclist while she was responding to a message in her mother’s Mercedes
Justin Gittings was struck while riding through Farmington, Connecticut. His leg was amputated at the scene, but he died from his injuries four weeks later
Morton lived with her family in the $940,000 Farmington, Connecticut, home shown above
While Gittings remained in the hospital, Morton continued sharing posts about her equestrian accomplishments on social media—a decision that deeply offended his grieving family.
At the time of the crash, Morton was preparing to begin her senior year at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, a private institution with annual tuition of about $53,000. Among the school’s former students is actress Sigourney Weaver.
Morton had appeared to be headed toward a privileged future, living with her 63-year-old mother, Tammi Morton, a UnitedHealth executive, in the family’s $940,000 home.
Her attorney, William Gerace, told the court that future had effectively collapsed. Morton sat beside him during Thursday’s hearing, crying quietly as he described the changes in her life since the crash.
Gerace persuaded Judge Moira Buckley not to impose the possible 2.5-year prison term. Morton, dressed in a plain white shirt and loose black trousers, was portrayed as a young woman who had been profoundly altered by the accident.
The defense lawyer described her as “a little girl who had only just turned 18 driving in her mother’s car,” emphasizing that she had not been drinking or using drugs when the crash occurred.
Anngelina Morton posted images of her equestrian activities on Instagram while Justin Gittings remained hospitalized with fatal injuries
A relative shields Anngelina Morton as she leaves Hartford Superior Court after she was spared a prison sentence
Morton is pictured shortly after her arrest in summer 2024, before she was due to start her senior year at the $53,000-a-year Ethel Walker School
Gittings’ mother, Beth Politis, was seen outside court on Thursday. She left in tears after learning that Morton would not serve time behind bars
Gerace said Morton developed bulimia and anorexia after the crash and had lost the ability to feel happiness. He also told the judge that she had made an attempt to end her life.
‘She has tried to kill herself on many occasions and has been institutionalized several times,’ Gerace said. ‘This is what this has done to her. She can’t be happy.’
After the hearing, Morton’s other attorney Cara Cavallari told the Daily Mail that her client was ‘hanging on by a string.’
The court was also told of how Morton’s mother Tammi, who worked as Chief Corporate Security Officer at UnitedHealth, had been ‘bankrupted’ by civil settlements filed against her daughter in the wake of Gittings’ death.
The amounts paid out were not disclosed and there was no sign of Tammi at Thursday’s hearing.
Morton leaves court on Thursday afternoon. One of her lawyers told the Daily Mail that the killer was ‘hanging by a string’
Morton is seen arriving at court in a black SUV before Thursday’s hearing
Morton is pictured during her first court appearance. She ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Morton’s offer to study at Auburn University in Alabama was withdrawn and she is now a student at Arizona State University.
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She took to the stand to apologize on Thursday, tearfully telling the court: ‘This tragedy has shattered my heart and soul.’
Speaking through sobs, she said her anguish over what she did was ‘incapacitating,’ adding: ‘I will never be able to move forward and leave this behind.
‘To Justin’s family and to Emily and Tyler, I know this is not enough,’ she continued.
‘I am truly and profoundly sorry. To Justin and the future he should have had, to Emily and Tyler for what they have endured, I am incomprehensibly and desperately sorry.’
Judge Buckley ultimately took Morton and her attorney’s pleas on board, calling her a ‘good kid.’
Morton’s mother, Tammi Morton (pictured), 63, was a high-flying Chief Corporate Security Officer at UnitedHealth Group, according to her LinkedIn profile
She also cited Morton’s age when letting her off with probation and a $5,000 fine.
Morton was also ordered to write letters of apology to Gittings’ family as well as Tyler Silvas and Emily Scarfo, Gittings’ friends who were riding behind him in a second bike.
They were also badly injured in the smash.
Judge Buckley acknowledged the victims’ concerns that Morton ‘had a privileged life’ but said, ‘this is not a case about privilege.’
She also condemned Morton’s social media activity following the crash.
‘Would I take to social media in this kind of case? Absolutely not,’ Buckley said.
Morton is seen leaving court in Hartford on Thursday. She is now a student at Arizona State University after an offer to study at Auburn University in Alabama was rescinded in the wake of Gittings’ death
‘I would not post about it, I would hunker down, but to the disappointment of most of you here, I’m not going to sentence her for that behavior. I believe that in the months that followed, she has shown remorse for what happened.’
Gittings’ loved ones were distraught by the sentence, with one of his friends screaming ‘murderer!’ at Morton, who wore black Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses to hide her face as she was marched out of the courthouse by her family.
She was promptly bundled into a white SUV before it drove away.
The victim’s mother, Beth Politis, said before sentence was passed that only a custodial punishment would bring her family closure.
‘I came to court with nobody calling me mom,’ she said.
‘At this point, I don’t want an apology or to hear about remorse.’
Gittings’ friends, many of them fellow truckers, arrived in cars covered in Harley Davidson stickers before packing out the courtroom.
In touching victim impact statements read aloud by 17 people, they remembered him as a deeply caring man who brightened their days with his infectious sense of humor.
Beth Politis is seen with her two sons, including Justin (pictured right) whose loss she continues to struggle with
After Morton was allowed to walk, Politis left the courtroom in tears, too upset to speak.
In her concluding remarks, Judge Buckley ordered Morton to ‘grow up.’
Sadly for Beth Politis, her late son will never get to hit the life milestone that may still lie ahead for Morton.
She said a particularly sharp reminder of her son’s loss comes courtesy of his beloved dog Piper, who she adopted after his death.
‘[Piper] continues to look for Justin every time a truck stops and every time she hears a motorcycle,’ Politis said.
‘I don’t know what’s worse; Piper waiting for Justin to return home, or me knowing he never will.’