Continued: Drunken driver who killed Burnsville woman sentenced

A drunken driver received double the normal sentence Monday for killing a woman by running over her twice in a Bloomington store parking lot. Anthony P. LaSalle, 37, also received uncommon forgiveness from her family.

LaSalle had previously admitted that on Dec. 10 he drank a half-liter of vodka before going to pick up his mother at work at a Sam's Club Bloomington. He struck LuAnn Johnson, 66, of Burnsville once, then panicked, drove off and hit her again as bystanders yelled at him to stop. His blood-alcohol content was recorded at 0.41 percent, more than five times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

As arranged in a plea deal, Judge Mark Wernick sentenced LaSalle to 96 months, double the normal amount for a criminal vehicular homicide.

"He deserves every blessed minute," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said on Monday.

But Johnson's husband, carrying a single red rose in a vase, a wedding photo, a memory book and a Bible, offered what the court could not. "I forgive Mr. LaSalle for killing LuAnn," LeRoy Johnson said of his wife of 43 years.

His voice broke several times as he read Proverbs 31:10, which he said describes his wife and mentions strength, honor, wisdom and kindness.

He also said he hopes LaSalle will confess and "come to know Jesus Christ as his personal savior."

LeRoy Johnson also wanted to give a book to LaSalle, "Fear Not" by Lisa D. Bell, saying he thought the book would help him through the days ahead in prison.

Johnson told reporters he saw his wife struck and yelled, "Lord, Lord, have him stop." Instead, LaSalle ran over her again, leaving her bleeding with massive injuries as he drove off. Johnson said he saw how badly she was hurt and asked God to take her. LaSalle was arrested on a city street nearby after he struck parked cars.

When Wernick let LaSalle speak, he said he is deeply sorry. "I never should have let it happen," LaSalle said.

LaSalle's lawyer, Mark Deveraj, said LaSalle suffered with lifelong depression and alcoholism and struggled to speak about what he had done, but he wrote a letter to LeRoy Johnson, which the lawyer read.

"I find it very difficult to live with myself," LaSalle wrote. "I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused you and your family."

LaSalle wrote that he lives every day with the "terror" and "horror" he caused.

Johnson said he looks at a beaming photo of his wife first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The couple had two children and during their marriage visited every state capital, finishing with Alaska about five years ago.

The couple's nieces and a nephew described LuAnn Johnson as a kind woman dedicated to charity work and worship, but accepting of others who didn't share her strong beliefs.

Kari Sykora said Johnson made her a quilt of her favorite Bible verses for her confirmation. "I am just so thankful for all the love and kindness she has shown to me over the years. She has been an inspiration to us all," she said.

Richelle Johnson said her aunt was a bundle of energy and efficiency. On holidays, "You just stay out of [her] kitchen because you'd just get in the way," Johnson said.

She told LaSalle, "I hope that you can make a difference and make the world better because you're here."

Johnson's nephew Eric Ruud said he hopes LaSalle will "find what he needs."

After the court session, Johnson stood holding the letter as well as the memory book of photos, letters and stories since his wife's death. He didn't want to comment on the note from LaSalle, saying he needed time to read it. But Johnson said he wants to meet with LaSalle as soon as possible and help him "come back into society."

Asked why he wanted to help his wife's killer, Johnson said, "He's a human being, and we're all human. We need someone to care for us."

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747