Man sent to jail after shopping on his phone, hitting and killing UB professor

Kristofer Gregorek of Saratoga County admitted to trying to buy a video game on his phone when he crashed into the car of a University at Buffalo professor in 2017.

Gregorek appeared in the courtroom of Honrable Christopher J. Burns in State Supreme Court for sentencing on a second-degree manslaughter charge. He was sentenced to a minimum of one and a half years in state prison, with a maximum of four years. He will be eligible for parole after one and a half years. 

Gregorek pleaded guilty in Februrary of 2018 for his role in the death of UB professor of nursing, Ellen Volpe. Volpe leaves behind a husband and two young boys. Volpe's husband, John McIntyre, addressed the court saying, "I miss my wife every day. All day." He went on to say, "I think it's important for Mr. Gregorek to think about that at length and be incarcerated," after Gregorek's attorney asked for probation.

Erie County District attorney John Flynn says this case is "one of the saddest I've had in my year and a half in this office." Flynn wants this to be a lesson and says he's willing to take Gregorek to schools after his release from prison to talk about the consequences of distracted driving. 

The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 15 years.