A Butler man was sentenced Thursday to serve 1 to 2 years in the county prison after pleading guilty to striking and killing a 26-year-old motorcyclist in 2018 while driving distracted by a social media app on his cellphone.

Nicholas Edward Abbott Jr., 27, of Butler was sentenced to 12 months minus one day to 24 months minus one day in prison for the Aug. 23, 2018, death of Leroy G. Hill IV of New Castle.

Abbott pleaded guilty to a felony charge of homicide by vehicle. There was no plea agreement in the case.

Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Sreib sentenced Abbott after Hill’s parents, siblings and other family members told the court that Hill’s death ended his promising future and devastated the family, and asked for the harshest possible sentence.

Abbott, who lived in Slippery Rock at the time of the incident, apologized to Hill’s family and accepted responsibility for the crash.

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