The widow of a Cranberry Township man killed by an impaired driver in December 2022 told the defendant Thursday, Feb. 5, that his successful challenge of his original sentence caused her family to relive the tragedy.

Darren M. Martin, 37, of Monaca, was resentenced in Butler County Common Pleas Court to the same seven-to-16-year state prison sentence he received the first time he was sentenced in December 2023 for the death of Bertram Forsyth, who was 46.

Martin was resentenced to a felony charge of homicide by vehicle while DUI and his third DUI offense. The resentencing was a result of Post Conviction Relief Act petitions he filed in April 2024 and February 2025. The petitions were granted in January by Judge Timothy McCune, who retired and now serves as a senior judge.

Cranberry Township police said on Dec. 4, 2022, Martin was driving a Ford E-450 U-Haul truck that struck Forsyth’s vehicle as it was entering Route 19 from Ehrman Road.

Witnesses told police that a man, later identified as Martin, was driving north on Route 19 when he drove through a red light at a high rate of speed and hit two other vehicles, police said in an affidavit.

Witnesses also reported to police the truck made a careless U-turn at the intersection of Route 19 and American Way, proceeded to travel north on Route 19 and ran a red light at the intersection of Route 19 and North Boundary Road just before the crash, police said.

Forsyth suffered blunt force trauma to his head, neck, pelvis and lower extremities in the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In his Post Conviction Relief Act petitions, Martin argued his right to due process was violated because he was in Butler County Prison — not in the courtroom — when he was sentenced remotely, his right to freedom of speech was violated because he was not able to speak before being sentenced and his sentence was not in accordance with sentencing guidelines.

In his response to the petitions, assistant district attorney Andrew Calve said Martin was given the opportunity to ask the court for leniency; he spoke to Forsyth’s widow, Jennifer Forsyth, before he was sentenced; he did not address the length of his sentence; he did not object to being sentenced remotely; and he never said he couldn’t hear or see during the hearing. He also argued the court cannot impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum.

Before the new sentence was imposed, Jennifer Forsyth admonished Martin for arguing his rights had been violated during his first sentencing hearing.

“Your rights … What about our rights?” she said.

She said she is angry and disappointed that she and her children had to return to court for a new sentencing hearing three years after the first sentencing.

“It forces us to relive the worst moment in our lives,” she said.

Martin has shown no remorse, she claimed.

She said two of her adult children stay home to help the family, and she works hard to support them, impacting her health.

Martin apologized to her.

“I am so sorry,” Martin said.

He said he didn’t think he would end up back in court.

“I deserve what I got. People up state talked me into this,” Martin said.

Judge Maura Palumbi imposed the same sentence Martin received on Dec. 8, 2023. He was sentenced to serve 84 months to 192 months in prison for the homicide by vehicle charge, concurrently serve 9 months to 60 months for the DUI charge, pay fines totaling $2,500 and pay $10,181 in restitution to Jennifer Forsyth.

A civil suit Jennifer Forsyth filed against Martin and U-Haul remain active in Common Pleas Court.