Man Sentenced in Death of Jehovah’s Witness

A Pomona Superior Court judge Friday handed down a 10-year prison sentence for a drunk driver who said a woman whom he struck died because she refused a blood transfusion for religious reasons.

Keith Eric Cook, 33, was convicted in December of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of driving under the influence causing injury for his involvement in an accident that led to the death of Jadine Russell, 55.

Cook struck Russell’s car on Sierra Madre Avenue north of Azusa on March 7, 1998. Russell, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, refused blood transfusions because they are forbidden by her religion.

The Azusa mother of five died three days later.

Cook’s lawyers had argued that Russell’s refusal of transfusions made her responsible for her death. Russell’s trauma surgeon and two medical experts had testified during the trial that she probably would have lived had she defied her religion and accepted blood.

James Russell, the victim’s widower, attacked Cook’s attorney for linking his wife’s faith to her death.

In a statement before the sentencing, Russell said he imagined that Cook would be marking days on a calendar leading to his release. “In my cell that you’ve created for me, I don’t check off the days until I’m released,” Russell said. “I check off the days until I die.”

Addressing the Russell family, Cook said he had “nothing but sadness and remorse” for his actions.

Cook, a mechanic, had a history of drunk driving. He had been convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence in 1996, and was on probation when his pickup truck crashed into Russell’s parked car.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Larson had unsuccessfully argued that Cook deserved a longer sentence because he had attended classes on the dangers of drinking and driving after his earlier conviction.

Judge Reginald Yates gave Cook credit for a little over a year served in jail since his arrest. Prosecutor Larson said Cook should be eligible for parole in a little more than seven years.