A Las Vegas woman who fatally struck a young father with her Tesla while he was crossing the street has pleaded for forgiveness from his family during a court appearance.
Karen Cannon, 64, hit pedestrian Patrick Deloria with her Tesla Model Y on May 13 last year, leaving him to die at the scene before fleeing.
Court documents reveal that Cannon admitted guilt in January to charges of reckless driving resulting in death and failing to stop at the scene of a fatal accident.
During her sentencing on Wednesday, Cannon appeared visibly emotional as she addressed Deloria’s widow and family, tearfully asking for their forgiveness.
“It’s unfortunate, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m so sorry,” she said, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Please forgive me, please.”
However, her plea was met with a firm response from Deloria’s family, who were present in the courtroom and responded with a resounding “No.”
Deloria, 32, was crossing a busy intersection when Cannon cut off another vehicle and hit him at speeds of around 66mph, an arrest warrant said.
The impact of the collision sent him flying approximately 155 feet into the air. Paramedics rushed to help, but Deloria was pronounced dead at the scene.
Patrick Deloria, 32, was struck dead by a Tesla Model Y as he crossed a busy Las Vegas street on May 13, 2025. He leaves behind two-year-old son Mason, pictured together
Karen Cannon, pictured in court in June last year, has pled guilty to one count each of reckless driving resulting in death and attempt duty to stop at the scene of a crash involving death
Cannon, 64, cut off another vehicle before hitting Deloria at speeds of around 66mph, police said. Her Tesla Model Y is seen after the crash
Cannon took her car to two different repair shops in the area, claiming to have hit a coyote, police said. She refused to file a claim with insurance.
Her attorney James Gallo told the court that Cannon had been speeding but ‘didn’t see anything’ in the road after the collision.
He said that she suspected someone had vandalized her Tesla.
According to a police report obtained by KLAS, Cannon told investigators that she felt a ‘hard blow’ to her car and felt it shake upon impact.
A week after the crash she called her car insurance company and notified them that she had hit something, but said she did not know what.
The Tesla was later seized by police who noted that a camera had been removed from its front fender and that all videos captured from 2025 had been erased.
Gallo told the hearing Wednesday that Cannon was ‘very remorseful’ and requested she be sentenced to probation.
But the judge instead ordered that she spend between three years and eight years in prison.
The impact of the collision sent Deloria flying approximately 155 feet into the air, police said. Cannon, however, claimed she thought she hit a coyote
Cannon begged Deloria’s family for forgiveness as a judge handed down her sentence on Wednesday, but they replied with a resounding: ‘No’
Deloria was a bartender, martial artist and beloved father to his two-year-old son Mason.
‘Anyone who knew him knew that every moment with Pat was never a dull one,’ his loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe campaign created to support his family.
‘You could always count on a grin, a joke, a jab, or a story, all in his own unique style.’
His wife Rebecca Hahn addressed the court during Cannon’s hearing, saying that his death has ‘completely and permanently’ changed hers and Mason’s lives.
Deloria’s mother Melody Peterson also spoke out, asking Cannon how she could hit someone and just drive away.
She accused Cannon of choosing not to get help for her son and told the court: ‘I won’t forgive her and I don’t think God will forgive her, but she will be judged in front of God.’
