A tragic hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of a beloved New Orleans bartender has resulted in a Louisiana teenager being sentenced to nearly a decade in prison. Thomas Riggio III, aged 19, was sentenced to nine years following his guilty plea in October for the death of 36-year-old Michael Milam, an event that unfolded in the vicinity of the iconic French Quarter.

The ill-fated night occurred on July 12, when Milam was cycling home after completing his bartending shift. As the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office reported, Riggio had been out partying with friends in the area and was found to have cocaine in his system. His blood alcohol level was recorded at .07 a full 12 hours after the tragic event.

Milam’s journey home took a fatal turn as he attempted to turn onto Alvar Street at St. Claude Avenue, where Riggio, driving an Infiniti, struck him and callously fled the scene. The heart-wrenching incident left Milam to succumb to his injuries alone.

In response to the sentencing, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams emphasized the gravity of Riggio’s actions, stating, “Riggio’s actions ended the life of a hardworking New Orleanian who was simply trying to get home; and his decision to flee the scene rather than help the victim speaks volumes about the seriousness of this crime.”

Michael Milam had recently moved to New Orleans from Houston to work at the renowned Cafe Lafitte in Exile on Bourbon Street, a prominent gay bar. Before returning to New Orleans, Milam had earned a reputation in the Houston area as a dedicated bartender and was well-regarded for his volunteer work within the gay community, as reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Milam had recently moved from Houston to work at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, a well-known gay bar on Bourbon Street. Prior to returning to New Orleans, Milam spent several years as a bartender in the Houston area and was known for his volunteering efforts in the gay community there.

“Milam had recently returned to New Orleans, a city he loved, to continue his bartending career in the heart of the French Quarter’s LGBTQ community,” a GoFundMe said. “Though he had been back only a short time, his presence was already being felt by colleagues and patrons alike.”

For his part, Riggio apologized to Milam’s family during the sentencing hearing.

“Since the day of the accident, I’ve wanted nothing more than to look each and every one of you in the eyes and apologize,” he said, per the Times-Picayune. “I could not begin to imagine how I would feel if any of my three siblings were taken from me … the way I took your brother.”

Also according to the newspaper, some of Milam’s siblings felt the hit-and-run charge was too lenient, and that Riggio may have benefited from having a stepfather in the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office.

District Judge Kimya Holmes pointed out how Riggio’s poor driving history seemed to escalate from slamming into another car while doing doughnuts and speeding into a ditch in a separate incident.

“He was charged with hitting someone and not giving aid. Not even stopping to see what it was that he hit. I just don’t understand that. I don’t understand not seeing if you hit a human, not seeing if you hit a dog,” Holmes reportedly said. “If he would have just stayed, none of us would be in this situation right now.”