Calgary cabbie Stanislaw Maguder guilty of hit and run that killed teen lying on road
Tyla Chipaway was lying in the middle of 16th Avenue when Stanislaw Maguder ran her over
A Calgary cab driver who ran over and killed a teenage girl has been found guilty of a hit and run based on his "evasive, inconsistent, implausible" testimony.
On Friday, provincial court Judge Sean Dunnigan convicted Stanislaw Maguder, 72, of hit and run knowing a death occurred, in the case of 16-year-old Tyla Chipaway in March 2015.
Maguder testified in his own defence at his week-long trial in April.
"I found the testimony of Mr. Maguder to have been evasive, inconsistent, implausible and often to have had no air of reality about it," said Dunnigan in delivering his decision.
Chipaway — who was wearing dark clothing at the time — was lying in the middle of 16th Avenue at 3:30 a.m. MT on March 18, 2015, when Maguder drove over her.
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'Manic flight'
In the minutes after he ran over the teen, court heard, Maguder sped in 11 different zones, blew through nine stop signs and ran four red lights, evidence showed. He then headed to a car wash, where he thoroughly cleaned his taxi.
"Mr. Maguder was at a loss to explain why he engaged in the manic flight from the scene and the multiple traffic violations," said Dunnigan.
Court also heard about Maguder's post-incident mutterings, which were recorded by a video camera inside his Associated Cab.
Dashcam video released at trial shows Chipaway lying in the middle of the road as the cab that is about to run over her approaches, while another camera angle is pointed at Maguder himself.
"Why did I not brake? Why did I not brake?" Maguder said to himself in Polish, looking visibly upset. "Do not admit guilt. Do not admit guilt."
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'Acutely stressed'
The next day, the cab driver told a co-worker that he thought he might have driven over a piece of luggage.
"It was evident that Mr. Maguder was acutely stressed and upset as a result of the collision," said Dunnigan. "His reactions were not those of a man who thought he had run over a piece of luggage."
At the time of her death, the victim had a blood alcohol level of 0.21. It is not known why she was lying in the middle of the major roadway.
There is no minimum sentence for Maguder's conviction. The maximum penalty is life in prison.
A sentencing hearing will be held in December.