Inset: A photo of Hussein Farhat is shown at a memorial for him in December 2024 (WBBM-TV/YouTube). Background: Christopher Sponholz appears in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, court in December 2024 (WISN/YouTube).
A man has confessed to his role in a tragic incident where a tow truck driver was fatally struck while working on the shoulder of a busy highway in Wisconsin.
Christopher Sponholz, aged 40, entered a guilty plea to the charge of hit-and-run involving a death, as noted in Waukesha County court documents reviewed by Law&Crime.
Sponholz was sentenced to seven years in prison, receiving credit for 421 days already served, followed by an additional ten years of extended supervision.
The victim, Hussein Farhat, also 40, lost his life in a crash that took place on December 24, 2024.
On that Christmas Eve, Farhat was in the process of loading a broken-down car onto his tow truck along I-94 near Summit, Wisconsin, about 30 miles from Milwaukee. A witness stated that a blue minivan, traveling at a speed of at least 80 mph, struck Farhat and continued without stopping, exiting at the next off-ramp, according to a report by local Fox affiliate WITI.
First responders arrived at the scene and transported Farhat to a nearby medical facility, where he was declared deceased 12 hours later, as reported by Milwaukee-based ABC affiliate WISN.
Sponholz was reportedly identified as the driver of the minivan the following day when someone recognized the vehicle from the hit-and-run in the village of Wales, Wisconsin, about six miles east of Summit. He is said to have told a friend he hit a deer the night of the crash.
The defendant then turned himself in to police.
Sponholz was repentant during his Thursday court hearing, saying, “I want to apologize and let you know how truly sorry I am. I apologize to him daily. I know there is nothing I can do to bring him back, and it hurts so much.”
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge William Domina remained critical of Sponholz”s actions.
“People deserve to be treated as human beings,” he said, per WISN. “Not as garbage. Not discarded. Not dumped, in a ditch, and pushed to the side like a dead deer.”
Farhat left behind a wife and three young children.
His death ignited calls for people to respect tow truck drivers and slow down as they approach them, with roughly 100 tow trucks joining a memorial for the victim, according to footage from Chicago-based CBS affiliate WBBM-TV.
