‘Even if I’m in jail for life, there’s no justice,’ says man convicted in fatal Thurston County crash

Jennifer Barry’s friends and family members all wore red Wednesday as they filed into a Thurston County courtroom.

Red is the color of anger, hurt and pain, explained Monica Hull, Barry’s sister. It is also the color of love and Barry’s favorite color.

Nearly all of Barry’s family members were present as Superior Court Judge Erik Price sentenced Patrick L. Martin Jr. to two years, 10 months in prison for her death. The only ones missing were Barry’s husband and her son, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

Martin, 27, of Seattle, was arrested July 4, 2015, after he crashed his Chrysler 300 into Barry’s Volkswagen Jetta near milepost 100 on Interstate 5. Barry, 43, of Beaverton, Oregon, died as a result of the crash. Martin pleaded guilty in June to charges of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. The defense and prosecution made a joint recommendation for the two year, 10 month sentence — the maximum sentence for someone with no criminal history who commits vehicular homicide.

When he was arrested, Martin told state troopers that he had fallen asleep while driving and awoke to see the victim’s car, but couldn’t avoid crashing into it, according to court documents. Troopers smelled marijuana on Martin and conducted an evaluation with a drug recognition expert, who concluded Martin was under the influence.

Barry was likely driving close to the speed limit when Martin crashed into her from behind. An ambulance driver from Lewis County had seen Martin’s vehicle pass him earlier on the freeway at about 120 mph, according to court documents.

Barry’s friends and family had a chance to address Martin in court Wednesday, and told of a kind, generous woman with a love of photography. Martin had been on her way to Emerald Downs to photograph horses when she died.

More than one family member expressed their heartbreak at Barry’s husband and son having to fight cancer without her.

“Because of your actions, (Barry’s son) Sean now has to go through horrible chemotherapy treatments without his mother, Jennifer, by his side,” said Karri Bowman, Barry’s sister. “(Barry’s husband) Chris has to navigate this challenging process alone, without his life partner.”

Public defender John Hansen, who represented Martin, said that his client has shown true remorse and took responsibility for his actions from the beginning.

Martin also addressed the court.

“I don’t want pity, I don’t want sympathy,” Martin said. “I understand what happened, and I don’t want to make excuses.”

“A young man is dealing with cancer, and his father’s with him, and he doesn’t have his mom,” he added. “There’s no justice for that. Even if I’m in jail for life, there’s no justice.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "‘Even if I’m in jail for life, there’s no justice,’ says man convicted in fatal Thurston County crash."