SCRANTON -- A man was sent to prison Thursday for the DUI crash that killed his fiancée but he received a much shorter sentence because her family asked for leniency.
The McClinton family says they lost two family members in that crash back in December of 2015 near Simpson.
Jennifer McClinton died in the crash. Her fiancé Dwight Sharp was driving and under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Deadly DUI crashes typically carry a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison but the crash that killed Jennifer McClinton, 24, of Simpson, has a different set of circumstances making it all feel even more tragic.
Her fiancé Dwight Sharp was behind the wheel and when he went in front of a judge to be sentenced for the deadly wreck, Jennifer's family came to his defense.
"We had to forgive him to move forward," said Jennifer's mother Linda McClinton. "He's been a part of our family for five and a half years. He didn't have a family growing up, we were his only family. He loved her, and he would never intentionally harm her, or hurt her, definitely not hurt, kill her. The message is, just don't drink and drive."
Jennifer's mom, aunts, and cousin took the time to hug Sharp before he left to serve a state prison term of at least one year and nine months.
According to court papers, Sharp had a blood alcohol content about twice the legal limit and was speeding when the couple crashed after a party in December of 2015.
The McClintons say they asked for leniency because Jennifer would have.
"Every morning when I wake up and I don't want to get out of bed, I say, 'what would Jen do?' You know that phrase, 'what would Jesus do?' I use it as what would Jen do. Jen was a very forgiving person. She was a very loving person, and that's why I get up every day and I do the things I do," said her aunt Lisa Stiers Wilson.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dwight Sharp will remain on probation for two years after getting out and must get drug and alcohol counseling, something Jennifer McClinton's family specifically asked the judge for in court.