Print
Email1 Year Later, Senser Victim's Family to 'Celebrate' His Life
One year to the day after the wife of former Vikings player Joe Senser hit and killed a Minneapolis chef with her car on a darkened interstate off-ramp, family and friends of Anousone Phanthavong plan to gather near the crash site, some for the first time since that night.
"I don't drive on that ramp and I don't look at it when I pass by," explained Anna Fieser, co-owner of the True Thai restaurant where Phanthavong, who many knew as "Ped," worked as a chef.
Fieser acknowledged in an interview, "it's going to be difficult," to return to the Interstate 94 Riverside Ave off-ramp in Minneapolis, but she said she is determined to do so on Thursday.
"We will celebrate his life," Fieser said.
On Wednesday afternoon, a shelf in her restaurant was filled with bouquets of donated flowers and two recently home-made wreaths are now part of a hallway memorial, along with pictures of Phanthavong.
Family and friends will gather for a private dinner at the restaurant on Thursday night before heading over the scene, Fieser said.
"I'm sure that he wanted all of us to be there," Fieser said. "He will be there. He will be there with us."
Amy Senser is serving a 41-month sentence after a jury convicted her of two counts of criminal vehicular homicide for the Aug. 23, 2012 incident. Senser's SUV hit and killed Phanthavong as he stood next to his vehicle on the off-ramp.
Senser has maintained she did not know she hit a person; she turned herself in to authorities 10 days later. She is appealing her conviction.
On Monday, prosecutors filed their response to Senser's motion for release pending appeal, stating in a five-page document that the, "standards of appellate review weight heavily against Ms. Senser. She has not met her burden of demonstrating meritorious issues on appeal that would warrant her release pending appeal."
Click here to read Senser's attorney's reply to the prosecution filing.
Watch our story above to see the flowers and hear from Fieser or watch our year-long coverage of the case below.
|
|
Related Stories:
- Amy Senser Complaint
- Court Documents: Amy Senser Case
- RAW VIDEO: Amy Senser's Case Goes Before the MN Court of Appeals
- Oral Arguments Held in Amy Senser Hit & Run Appeal
- Attorney Hospitalization Postpones Senser Arguments
- Amy Senser Takes 1st Step to Overturn Hit-and-Run Conviction
- Joe Senser Lashes Out at Prosecutor After Wife's Court Appearance
- Amy Senser's New Hearing Starts Monday
- Date Set for New Hearing on Senser Release Motion
- Appeals Court Orders Remand of Senser Release Motion
