The driver who was involved in the fatal motorcycle accident that killed beloved actor Treat Williams pled guilty to a lesser charge during an emotional hearing Friday in Vermont.
According to multiple reports, Ryan Koss, 35, was given a one-year deferred sentence and his driver’s license has been revoked for one year. As part of his probation, Koss will have to attend a mental health counseling and restorative justice program.
Judge Kerry Ann Mcdonald-Cady warned Koss that if he did not comply with the conditions set forth as part of his plea deal, she would impose the maximum prison sentence of two years and a $3,000 fine. The Associated Press reported that Koss apologized and offered his condolences to both Williams’ family and his fans.
Koss knew Williams and served as managing creative director of Vermont’s Dorset Theatre Festival.
“I’m here to apologize and take responsibility for this tragic accident,” Koss told the court.
Williams’ son, Gill, attended the hearing. Gill is said to have worn his father’s jacket to the hearing, where he spoke directly to Koss.
“I do forgive you, and I hope that you forgive yourself,” Gill said.
Gill added, “I really wish you hadn’t killed my father. I really had to say that.”
Williams’ wife, Pam Williams, did not attend the hearing, but she echoed Gill’s sentiments in hoping Koss can forgive himself.
“Our lives will never be the same, our family has been torn apart and there is a huge hole that can’t possibly be filled,” she wrote in her victim impact statement read aloud in court.
Williams’ daughter, Ellie, who also did not attend the hearing, said in her statement she wasn’t ready to forgive Koss just yet, but perhaps maybe in the future.
“I will never get to feel my father’s hug again, be able to get his advice again, introduce him to my future husband, have him walk me down the aisle, introduce him to my babies, and have him cry when I name my first son after him,” Ellie’s statement read.
The plea deal comes nearly six months after Koss initially pled not guilty to a felony charge of gross negligent operation with death resulting following the June 12, 2023 crash. Had he been convicted on that charge, Koss would have faced up to 15 years behind bars.
According to the Vermont State Police, Koss was driving a Honda Element SUV that turned into the path of Williams’ motorcycle. VSP previously said that they believed Koss attempted to drive into a parking lot, stopping and signaling a left turn, before turning into the path of Williams’ motorcycle.
The Hair and Everwood star suffered critical injuries after the crash and was subsequently pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center. The Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Williams died of severe trauma and blood loss as a result of the accident. He was 71.
Williams had more than 120 credits to his name, with a decades-long career that began back in 1975 with his debut film, Deadly Hero. Some of his many other credits include Steven Spielberg’s 1941, Prince of the City, Blue Bloods, Brothers & Sisters and the Hallmark Channel series, Chesapeake Shores.
Matt Rapphahn, a witness to the fatal accident, told360aproko back in June that he saw Williams “flying over the hood of the car and then” landing on the ground. Rapphahn said he was left traumatized after witnessing the accident.
A week later, the actor’s loved ones “honored his memory during an intimate funeral” in Vermont, with Williams’ longtime agent, Barry McPherson, telling 360aproko , “It was beautiful and filled with love.”
