FARIBAULT, Minn. — A judge sentenced Leslie Sanders to 140 months after he pleaded guilty to killing 79-year-old Larry Myers during a road rage incident last summer.

Police say it happened near Dundas on June 27, 2022, when Sanders tried to pass Myers’ vehicle and hit it while pulling back into his lane near Northfield. At a nearby intersection, the criminal complaint says Sanders then got out of his vehicle while it was still rolling, approached Myers and started punching him. Police say several witnesses at the scene said they all saw Sanders hitting Myers numerous times.

In court on Thursday, Myers’ family said he was on his way to dialysis and was still buckled in his vehicle when Sanders became angry.

“My dad was killed, four words I never thought I’d say, but this cowardly and senseless act by the defendant changed all of that,” said Wayne Myers, the victim’s son.

Police said Myers suffered several facial fractures and bleeding on the brain. His family agreed to remove him from life support several days after the attack.

“When I went to see him I barely recognized the man who was my dad,” said Wayne. “That wasn’t the final vision of my dad I thought I would have.”

Several other family members spoke out, describing Myers as a fiercely independent man who loved his grandchildren and was a Vietnam veteran. His daughter said she didn’t agree with the plea deal and only accepted it out of respect for her family and not kindness or mercy for Sanders. Myers’ family said Sanders is also a veteran and has several children.

“I hope he never feels peace again in his life and I hope he gets forgiveness from his God, because he will never get it from me,” said Myers’ daughter, Jennifer.

The judge sentenced Sanders to 140 months in prison. In Minnesota, inmates serve two-thirds, which in this case, is about eight years.

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