After an emotional sentencing hearing in Johnson County District Court, a Grain Valley, Missouri, man will serve 25 years in prison for killing a man in a 2023 drunk-driving crash in Merriam.
On Friday, Uconn Xavier Coleman was sentenced in Johnson County Court by Judge Christina Dunn Gyllenborg to a total of 300 months in prison for multiple felony charges.
The charges stem from a wreck on June 15, 2023, in which prosecutors say Coleman rear-ended a vehicle at the intersection of Antioch Road and Shawnee Mission Parkway in Merriam.
Benjamin “Benny” Kleczka, the driver of the struck vehicle, later died from his injuries sustained in the crash.
Coleman was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to four felony charges.
The final sentencing includes 250 months for Second Degree Murder, 34 months for Leaving the Scene of a Crash, nine months for Aggravated Battery and seven months for Fleeing and Eluding. Those sentences are to be served consecutively.
Coleman tried to withdraw his guilty plea
In March, Coleman pleaded guilty to the charges, as part of plea agreement with the state. In May, he made a motion to withdraw that plea.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office responded to the plea, asking for it to be denied because Coleman did not have good cause to withdraw it because he had plenty of time to consider it and knowingly and voluntarily entered into the plea agreement, court documents stated.
Prosecutors also argued that Coleman had effective counsel and was not misled or coerced into the plea deal.
During the sentencing hearing Friday, Judge Gyllenborg formally denied Coleman’s plea withdrawal and went forward with sentencing him, according to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
Sentencing was “emotional”
After hearing victim impact statements during Friday’s sentencing, members from both Coleman’s and Kleczka’s family in attendance broke down in tears, according to a Facebook post by Sarah Kleczka, Benny Kleczka’s sister.
“The family of Coleman was apologetic to us, and Coleman himself hysterically cried in apologies to our family after hearing what everyone said about Benny and the amazing person he was,” she wrote.
Sarah Kleczka did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for additional comment.
James Spies, Coleman’s attorney, said in an interview with the Post that it was a rare moment for him to witness.
“It was probably the most emotional sentencing hearing I’ve ever seen,” he said.
The sentencing was a mutual agreement
As the second attorney for Coleman, Spies said the plea agreement was something that Coleman and Benny’s family had been working on for months. With the sentencing, he believed both sides were satisfied with the results.
“It was definitely something that the parties put a lot of work into before I ever got to the case,” he said. “(Coleman) felt like he got a fair hearing on that and just wanted to have the closure, I think, for the victim’s family.”
In addition to the sentencing, Spies said that Coleman took the rare step of informing the court that he does not intend to file a motion to appeal the sentence. But for the next 14 days, that option is still available.
“He directed me as attorney not to file a notice of appeal,” he said. “In the next 14 days, if he chose to come back and do so, he still could.”
The family continues to honor Benny Kleczka
In the wake of Kleczka’s death, his family is keeping his memory alive through acts of kindness.
“Benny had a strong relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” a GoFundMe page set up for the family in the wake of the crash last year reads. “Through our human eyes, he was taken way too soon, but God knows best and took Benny home. He lived such a full, blessed life, and will always be loved by so many.”
Through a separate GoFundMe page, Benny’s family has launched a “Benny’s Act-of-Kindness Fund” that will use the money donated for tuition assistance for students in need at Shawnee Mission Christian School.
“Benny would LOVE that we are doing this, as he always had a compassionate heart for those in need,” the GoFundMe page stated. “Furthermore, Shawnee Mission Christian School is also a ministry that tries to help every family afford tuition, even though the school itself struggles financially.”
In his giving spirit, Benny was an organ donor and parts of him are helping others live a better life, the page stated.
“When Benny passed, his heart saved the life of a nine-year-old boy,” it stated. “His lungs, kidneys, liver, and tissues also went to recipients in need. So even in his death, Benny continued to give.”
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