(Osceola, IA) – A District Judge has sentenced a man from southern Iowa to a dozen years in prison, following his guilty plea in a crash in November, 2025, that killed a teenager from Murray. 41-year-old Jacob Wright, of Grand River, received his sentence March 26th in Clarke County District Court.
Wright was the driver of a vehicle that struck a horse-drawn buggy being operated by 16-year-old Elmer Borntrager. The teen was thrown from the buggy during the crash. Following the collision, Wright left the scene of the November 12th accident. His damaged vehicle was located about five-miles from the crash scene days later. He initially plead not guilty, but later agreed to a deal that dropped a charge of involuntary manslaughter and left the remain charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failing to assist the victim, in-tact.
In addition to serving 12-years in prison, Wright must also pay restitution of $150,000 to the victim’s family.
