Manchester statement on sentencing in fatal I-69 accident

Email from Manchester University President Dave McFadden to students, faculty and staff after the April 3, 2017, sentencing:

Friends,

Deangelo R. Evans, the man who caused the deaths of Nerad Mangai, Brook “BK” Dagnew and Kirubel Hailu in a traffic accident on Feb. 21, 2016, was today sentenced to 38.5 years in prison.

You’ll recall that Mr. Evans pleaded guilty Sept. 19 in Grant Superior Court to all eight charges against him, including three counts each of reckless homicide and operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death and one count of OWI resulting in serious bodily injury.

Although the sentencing represents legal closure to this painful chapter in our lives, I know our emotional recovery continues. Please remember in your thoughts and prayers everyone whose hearts have been broken by this tragedy. And continue supporting members of our MU community as they navigate their personal journeys of grief and healing. 

Those in the Manchester family will best honor their memory by choosing to be their best selves, by leading principled, productive and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.

A Peace Pole that now stands on the site of the new intercultural center is a tangible symbol of that commitment to them and a memorial in their honor. Its message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages, is accompanied by the inscriptions #3FlyHigh and #MUStrong.

We hold them forever in our hearts.

Dave McFadden
President

Background for the media:

• Nerad Mangai, pronounced Ner ‘at Man guy, was a sophomore biology-chemistry major from Jos, Nigeria.
• Brook “BK” Dagnew, last name pronounced as Dog new, with slight emphasis on the first syllable, was a sophomore biology-chemistry major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Kirubel Hailu, pronounced Kir you bell Hay loo, was a first-year student majoring in medical technology from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

One student was badly injured in the crash but has since returned to continue his studies. Three other students were not struck by the vehicle driven by Evans. Except for Mangai, all of the students were from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The students had been visiting friends at Ball State and Taylor universities and were returning to Manchester on Interstate 69 when they stopped to change a tire. The students were out of the vehicle in the median when they were struck.

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Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers more than 60 areas of academic study to 1,600 students in undergraduate programs, a Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics, a Master of Athletic Training and a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy.  It has students from 20 nations. Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at www.manchester.edu.

April 3, 2017