MIDDLETON, Idaho -- A family in Canyon County wants answers. It's been over a year since 70-year-old Marlene Miller was killed in a crash. The family reached out to KTVB in hopes of finally getting some closure.
Marlene Miller was a nun and also served as the religious director for the armed forces. Marlene led a full life, but it was cut short right after retiring to Caldwell, by no fault of her own. Sister Marlene's loved ones, especially her niece, want justice.
"She was killed October 10, 2013," said Miller's niece, Linda Rinne. "She died a day before her 71st birthday."
The crash happened at the intersection of Highway 20-26 and Middleton Road. Idaho State Police says 22-year-old Katelyn Bergland was driving an onion truck and ran a red light, crashing into Miller's Volkswagen. Miller died instantly.
Bergland has never appeared in court to face the consequences. Linda Rinne says she is frustrated with the Canyon County Prosecutor's Office because the case hasn't been moving forward. She says the victim's coordinator told her there wasn't enough manpower and it wasn't a high profile case.
"This would have been a better case had she lived and been a vegetable," said Rinne. "I thought that was the most absurd thing to say to a victim's family because every person that's a victim of this type of tragedy deserves the same justice."
The prosecutor's office would not return our calls. Spokesperson with Canyon County, Joe Decker, said there would be no comment because the case was pending. Idaho State Police spokesperson Teresa Baker said they got a warrant for Bergland's arrest about two months ago, but couldn't find her. Last week, though, detectives did located the young woman and she was arrested for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
"I think it was because of my contacting you and intervening that really made them, I think, sit up and listen," said Rinne.
Rinne just wants justice for her aunt, not vengeance, because that's what she believes Marlene would have wanted.
"Every case is important, because behind every case is a person, and that individual is just as important as you and I," said Rinne. "I would just like to see this come to justice."
Rinne says Idaho State Police detectives were very helpful over the past year. Her advice to other families that may be in a similar situation is that if something doesn't seem right, get involved.
Katelyn Bergland is expected to make her first appearance in court later this week to enter a guilty or not guilty plea for the misdemeanor charge. ISP tells us it's a misdemeanor because she was not committing a felony when she ran the red light.
If convicted, Bergland could spend up to a year in prison.
