Man pleads guilty in connection with 2016 accident that killed ACU student

ABILENE, Texas -- A man arrested for driving a car that fatally struck an Abilene Christian University student in late 2016 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

According to the Taylor County District Attorney’s Office, official sentencing on the manslaughter charge – and a related DWI charge – for Charles Schaefer is scheduled for next week.

Schaefer has accepted a plea agreement that calls for him to serve six months in jail for manslaughter and another six months in jail for DWI. He has also agreed to serve 10 years of probation.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday to allow the family of Casey Ellis, the ACU student who was riding a bicycle when she was hit by Schaefer’s vehicle, to attend.

Police say Schaefer was drunk while driving the car that struck the 21-year-old Ellis of Bethel, Connecticut.

Ellis was killed while riding home from work on Nov. 23, 2016. Police initially said Schaefer had the right of way when the two collided in the intersection of Ambler Avenue and North Judge Ely Boulevard.

But an amended crash report that was filed in late February 2017 concluded both Ellis and Schaefer entered the intersection when the lights were all red. The city of Abilene has said traffic lights have a delay ranging from a half-second to two seconds when changing from red to green.