Siano sentenced to six months for 2022 fatal accident

CELINA - A 28-year-old Mendon woman was sentenced to just under six months in jail on Wednesday for her part in a 2022 traffic accident that killed a 43-year-old Celina woman.

Serina M.L. Siano was sentenced to 180 days in jail and a lifetime driver's license suspension on two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony.

As well, she was sentenced to a mandatory five years of community control sanctions following her release. She is not eligible to apply for driving privileges for 10 years.

The sentence was previously agreed upon by both the state and defense.

Siano pleaded guilty to the charges in April. She was originally indicted in March 2023 on one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony; aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony; and operating a vehicle while under the influence of a listed controlled substance or a listed metabolite of a controlled substance, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The charges were amended as a part of the negotiated plea agreement.

In her statement to the court prior to sentencing, Siano acknowledged that there were no words she could say to alleviate the pain of Becky Fuson's family.

"Though I truly wish there were. I cannot begin to express the remorse I feel for this tragedy that occurred," she continued. "I want you all to know that I take full responsibility for my actions. There has not been, nor will there be, a single day that has passed where I do not think about Becky and each and every one of you. I wish I could take all of your sorrow and all of your pain away. I pray every one in your family finds peace and happiness every day. This accident that has occurred has changed your lives forever. I know this, I understand this, I own this and I'll forever be sorry for this."

Following Siano's statement, Fuson's daughter Kendell told the court that as a result of the accident, she lost her mother when she was just a 17-year-old senior in high school.

"I hate the fact that this is my life now. I hate that my mom didn't do anything wrong and she was the one taken," she said. "I remember every single night since Dec. 19, 2022, hoping that I can wake up from this nightmare."

Kendell's statement was one of 12 victim impact statements that Judge Matthew Fox received and read prior to Wednesday's hearing.

"I did not read them until today. I would like to say I didn't read them because I wanted to make sure I had them all or I know sometimes they trickle in late. But I thought it would be best that I focus fully and completely on those statements today, and only today, to prepare a sentence, knowing that it would be difficult to get through," Fox said, becoming emotional. "When I went through them, I learned a lot about Ms. Fuson from her family and her friends and the people that love her. I learned a lot about her and how much she was loved."

He then acknowledged the massive loss the victim's family and friends suffered because of Siano's actions.

There were several assertions throughout the stack of victim impact statements that he believed to be true, including, "that this collision happened, not by accident, but by choices made by Ms. Siano."

"Another statement reminded the court that the collision happened, not by choices, but by the actions of Ms. Siano," he said. "One statement referred to the running of the stop sign in this case like playing Russian Roulette with a car. And I agree with that," Fox said. "Then I thought, the difference though between Russian Roulette and this is that when you take a gun and are doing Russian Roulette, the only target you have is yourself. When you're playing Russian Roulette with a car, the target includes not just you, but other people."

Mercer County central dispatch received a call at 6:28 a.m. Dec. 19, 2022, reporting a two-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Rice and Oregon roads in Center Township, according to a county sheriff's office news release.

Siano was driving a 2021 gray Honda Accord southbound on Rice Road, per the release. Fuson was driving a 2019 silver Chevrolet Impala eastbound on Oregon Road. Siano reportedly ran the stop sign at the intersection of Rice and Oregon roads, striking Fuson's vehicle on the driver's side.

Both drivers were transported by Celina EMS to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital for treatment, where Fuson was pronounced dead.

The initial indictment from March 2023 alleged Siano, while operating a motor vehicle on or about Dec. 19, 2022, unlawfully caused the death of Fuson. Siano was also alleged to have been operating under the influence of marijuana.