Trial underway against 20-year-old accused of racing driver involved in deadly Montco crash

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 20-year-old man is on trial in Montgomery County for homicide by vehicle, accused of racing the driver that slammed into a pickup truck in Hatfield last year, killing a woman.

Prosecutors said 20-year-old Evan Buckman and 20-year-old Aiden Jarrett were racing each other around 8:20 p.m. on May 17, 2023. They were speeding south on Route 309 at more than 100 miles per hour when Jarrett slammed into a pickup truck that was trying to make a left turn onto Bergey Road.

The crash killed 62-year-old Ida Lillo and seriously injured her husband.

Buckman is on trial for homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle. Jarrett pleaded guilty to the same charges in August .

Prosecutor Blair Rohlfing said Jarrett and Buckman “loved to drive, loved to drive fast, and loved to drive fast together.” He told the jury that even though Buckman wasn’t driving the car directly involved in the crash, he had a shared responsibility because he was racing Jarrett at the time.

Buckman’s lawyer, Matt Quigg, said while the fatal crash is a tragedy, there’s not a shred of evidence that the two were racing. Quigg said at no point was Buckman next to or in front of Jarrett. He said Buckman was unfamiliar with the route Jarrett was driving and was only following him, trying to keep up.