Driver who killed Leominster dog walker gets 18 months

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (FOX25, myfoxboston) - A member of a BMW car club convicted of motor vehicle homicide for striking and killing a Leominster woman walking her dog has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.

David Conant received a 2½-year sentence in Fitchburg District Court yesterday, with 18 months to serve and the remainder suspended for 7½ years.

Conant was out driving with other members of a BMW enthusiasts club when he struck 54-year-old Elizabeth Powers McCaffrey in November 2008 just yards from her home. She died at a hospital.

Police estimate he was driving 62 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone.

Conant did not speak at sentencing. His lawyer, who was driving the BMW directly behind him at the time of the accident, suggested that McCaffrey was crossing the street illegally.