The teen convicted in the death of bicyclist Jeff Dusenbury was in court again Monday for a hearing on a motion to reduce her sentence.
Alexandra Ellis pleaded guilty to negligent homicide for backing into Dusenbury with her truck while intoxicated in July 2014. She was sentenced to serve three years in prison, with two suspended, a judgment many people in Anchorage condemned.
The motion seeks to further reduce Ellis’ time behind bars by applying credit for 252 days served in an inpatient treatment facility between August 2014 and April 2015, according to her lawyer, Kevin Fitzgerald. He added that 26 days she spent in another program was denied by the judge as part of their motion, as she was charged for the crime five days before she left the program.
Fitzgerald estimated that, if approved, the motion would reduce Ellis’ time in prison to “a little over 90 days.”
Ellis was in court for the evidentiary hearing. She was asked to explain time spent outside the treatment facility — four hours at the Alaska State Fair in 2014. While on the stand, she also told the court she was still undergoing treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and other health issues, and is going to school at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Fitzgerald said a decision on the motion is expected “within a week.”
Ellis has already served five days at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, Fitzgerald said. A judge changed her remand date to May 2.
