Man who killed volunteer toymaker in 2022 DUI crash sentenced

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — A Utah man who was found guilty of causing the 2022 death of a volunteer toymaker while driving under the influence was sentenced in court on Monday.

Asael Paul Lyman, 73, was charged with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, a second-degree felony; driving under the influence of alcohol with a passenger under 16 years old, a class A misdemeanor; and numerous other traffic infractions.

Lyman was “sentenced to an indeterminate term of not less than one year nor more than fifteen years in the Utah State Prison” for the charge of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, according to documents.

The court recommended Lyman get credit for 229 days already served, and that credit was granted for the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol with a passenger under 16 years old.

More information about the crash

In May 2024, Lyman was found guilty of the Dec. 2022 death of Claude Nile Thacker , 75, who worked as a volunteer toymaker for Tiny Tim’s Foundation for Kids .

According to court documents, on Dec. 1, 2022, officers with the West Jordan Police Department were dispatched to the scene of an accident and “observed a large amount of toy trucks covering the westbound lanes.”

Officers located a pickup truck that had been pushed through a chain-link fence, and Thacker was in the truck. Thacker was pronounced dead at the scene after fire and medical personnel responded to the scene.

One witness reported seeing Lyman’s vehicle sideswipe a concrete barrier before continuing into the intersection at 9000 South.

According to airbag control data, Lyman was “traveling at 89-mph with 100% full throttle when he struck Thacker” — but the speed limit in the area was 55 miles per hour, documents said.

Lyman consented to a blood draw, and documents said he had 0.12 grams of ethanol per 100 milliliters at the time of the crash. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Utah is 0.05 grams .

At the time of the crash, Lyman had his six-year-old grandson in the car, and both occupants of Lyman’s vehicle were taken to the hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.

The Thacker family previously told ABC4.com that Thacker’s wife, Gloria, passed away on Feb. 29, 2024. Shortly after Thacker was killed, the family said Gloria developed “Broken Heart Syndrome” and heart failure.

“She was absolutely devastated by the loss of her husband, partner and love of her life of 48 years, that we lost her as well,” the family said.

The Thacker family also told ABC4.com that while many think that driving intoxicated and killing someone would immediately result in the intoxicated driver going to jail, “the law is written in a way that you have to prove they were negligently operating the vehicle and that they were driving under the influence.”

The Thacker family has since said they will be working to change that law with the families of other victims, as well as the Utah legislature.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.