Bradley man goes to jail for manslaughter Driver to serve eight months in Monson pedestrian’s death

DOVER-FOXCROFT – A Bradley man on Thursday began serving an eight-month sentence for manslaughter at the Piscataquis County Jail.

Konrad Thornley, 23, was sentenced to three years with the Department of Corrections, with all but eight months suspended. Superior Court Chief Justice Nancy Mills, who handed down the sentence, also placed Thornley on probation for two years and his driver’s license was suspended for five years. No restitution was ordered.

Thornley lost control of his 1995 Pontiac Grand Am on Route 15 in Monson in January 2003 and struck Albert Wheaton, 51, of Monson, who was walking home from a local store. Wheaton suffered massive head injuries from the accident and died in February 2003 at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The Bradley man was arrested in October 2003 after investigators concluded he had been drinking excessively and smoking marijuana before the accident.

In April, Thornley pleaded no contest to the manslaughter charge, but Mills did not accept the plea, saying she wanted to determine if the recommended plea-bargained sentence was appropriate. That sentence had been three years in prison, with all but 30 days suspended, two years of probation and a five-year license suspension.

On Thursday, Thornley entered a guilty plea, and Mills imposed her own sentence.

“This was a very difficult case for all sides,” defense attorney Rick Hartley of Bangor said Thursday. He said his client has been extremely remorseful from the start. “He’s hopeful this will aid in the family of the victim’s recovery.”

Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said he was pleased with the outcome.

“Albert Wheaton was a good and decent fellow, and he didn’t deserve to die this way,” the prosecutor said Thursday. “I admire his family’s commitment to see that justice was done; their commitment to the sentencing process was helpful and meaningful.”

Almy said he appreciated the fact that Wheaton’s family members made the effort to get involved in the court process to see that a fair and decent outcome was achieved.

“Konrad Thornley, although his conduct was reprehensible and reckless, should at least be given credit for the fact that he was willing to stand up and take his punishment and not delay the court process,” Almy said.