Evan Robert Buckman, 20, of the 4000 block of East Campbell Road, Marlborough Township. Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Evan Robert Buckman, of Marlborough Township, is charged in the May 2023 crash on Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield Township that killed 62-year-old Ida Lillo.
A trial began Tuesday morning in the vehicular homicide case involving a 20-year-old Marlborough Township man who allegedly killed a Hatfield Township woman in a high-speed race with another vehicle in May 2023.
Evan Robert Buckman, 20, of the 4000 block of East Campbell Road, Marlborough Township, is facing charges of homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering other persons, illegal racing, speeding and reckless driving, per court documents.
Police allege Buckman was involved in the 8:41 p.m. May 17, 2023, crash on Bethlehem Pike at Bergey Road in Hatfield Township that killed 62-year-old Ida Lillo of Hatfield, a passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband, Louis Lillo III, who suffered serious injuries.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein is presiding over the trial, per court records. Buckman is represented by defense lawyer Matthew Quigg.
Quigg argued, per The Reporter, during the first day of trial, that there is no evidence that his client was racing Jarrett or attempting to pass Jarrett.
“He was just following his friend,” Quigg said, per the report.
Prosecutors allege Buckman, who did not crash into Lillo’s car, shares responsibility for the vehicular homicide, due to racing at unsafe speeds, as an accomplice liability.
“They were racing. Every step of the way they’re together,” said Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Blair Rohlfing during his opening statement. “These two drivers were hurling down Route 309 together. They were weaving through cars together.”
Buckman's co-defendant, Aidan Thomas Jarrett, 20, of the 300 block of Erie Avenue, Quakertown, pleaded guilty Aug. 15 in Montgomery County Common Pleas court to felony homicide by vehicle and felony aggravated assault by vehicle, and faces between 7 to 14 years in prison.
Jarrett was speeding in excess of 110 mph on Bethlehem Pike/Route 309 – specifically, authorities allege, racing with co-defendant Buckman – when his red 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer collided with a silver 2015 Nissan Frontier, occupied by the Lillos.
Aidan Thomas Jarrett, 20, of the 300 block of Erie Avenue, Quakertown. Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.According to The Reporter, while Buckman’s vehicle did not strike the Lillo vehicle, he, due to his alleged racing, is also responsible for the fatality under accomplice liability theories, prosecutors said.
Investigators said the crash occurred when Lillo was attempting to make a left turn onto Bergey Road from Bethlehem Pike and was struck by Jarrett, who was speeding. (Editor’s note: this crash occurred prior to the removal of the ability to turn left onto Bergey Road from Bethlehem Pike.)
A third vehicle, described as a yellow Nissan 350z driven by Buckman, was also observed traveling at a high rate of speed through the intersection seconds after the crash, before stopping at the scene, police said.
The force of the crash caused the Nissan to flip on its side and travel through the intersection, seriously injuring the driver and passenger, according to the criminal complaint. Both were transported from the scene to Grand View Hospital, with Lillo being pronounced dead a short time later.
While on scene, Jarrett told police on scene that was driving over the speed limit, and when asked his approximate speed, he replied, "Uhh, pretty fast. Uhh a hundred,” according to police.
Investigators said they determined through witness’s statements, interviews with Jarrett and Buckman, and nearby surveillance footage, that Jarrett and Buckman were racing at high speeds in the southbound lanes prior to the crash. Data from the Airbag Control Module in the Mitsubishi showed the vehicle was traveling at 110.6 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash, and an analysis of video surveillance showed Buckman was traveling at 95 miles-per-hour, according to charging documents.
Hatfield Township Police Officer William J. Summerfield alleged in the criminal complaint:
“The reconstruction of the crash found the speed of the red Mitsubishi caused this crash,” alleged Summerfield. “(The vehicles were driven in) a complete reckless and wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property.”
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
