A 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty to multiple criminal offenses and faces at least three years in state prison after a car he was driving struck and killed a 77-year-old pedestrian in South Lebanon Township.
Police alleged that Zachary Werner, then 18, was on his way to Cedar Crest High School on the morning of April 30, 2024, when he ran over Casimira Pakola and kept going. Pakola was pronounced dead at the scene.
Pakola was survived by her husband of 57 years, Richard, five children, and nine grandchildren, according to her obituary. She was a fitness instructor for seniors at Penn State Extension’s LIFT program.
After leaving the scene, Werner drove to the school and parked his 2010 Honda Accord in a space reserved for him. The car was registered to Werner’s father, who is a retired Pennsylvania state trooper. Police found visible damage, hair, and blood on the car.
When confronted at the school that morning, police alleged that Werner admitted running over Pakola and leaving the scene. According to court documents filed by investigators, Werner told them, “It was my fault.”
Werner was charged with homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury, involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, careless driving, and failing to report accident to police. Combined, they carry a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison and $50,315 in fines.
Because Werner left the scene of an accident involving a death, he also faces a mandatory three-year minimum prison sentence for accidents involving death or serious bodily injury where the driver fails to stop.
On June 12, Werner, who has no criminal record, entered an “open” guilty plea to all charges. An open plea means that there is no agreement between the district attorney and the defendant on what the sentence should be. The sentencing judge will be free to impose any sentence up to the statutory maximums.
Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 13, before Lebanon County President Judge John Tylwalk.
As part of entering his guilty plea, Werner, like all defendants, completed and submitted a standard document known as a guilty plea colloquy in which he acknowledged that he understood the charges against him and that he was pleading guilty freely, intelligently, and voluntarily.
Two questions on that form are “Have you ever been treated for a mental illness?” and “To your knowledge, do you now suffer from any mental or emotional disability?” Werner answered “yes” to both, without elaborating. Documents filed at the Clerk of Courts office indicate that Werner has been evaluated by Ashley Milspaw, a Cumberland County psychologist, but they contain no details.
Werner’s attorney, Scott Grenoble, declined to comment. Assistant District Attorney Brian Deiderick, the prosecutor assigned to the case, did not respond to email requests for comment.
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