Family speaks out after a man was charged with fatal road rage

LEHI, Utah – The State of Utah's hearing against John Jeffery Williams took place Wednesday afternoon in the Fourth Judicial District where Williams pleaded guilty to manslaughter by assault and driving while impaired.

The parties came to an agreement after a traffic incident occurred in Lehi in early June. And resulted in the death of 38-year-old Michael Brown. It was a very emotional day for the Brown family, and there wasn't a dry eye in the courtroom.

“Because of his unbridled anger and hatred and inability to take a breath and move on, Mr. Williams forever changed the course of this wonderful family's life,” said Lynn Mortensen, Brown's father-in-law.

Brown and his two sons, ages nine and ten, were on their way to visit their mother when a road rage incident changed everything.

“It's the traumatic way we lost Michael. “You would never imagine that a family member would be murdered in such a brutal manner,” said Cyndi Brown, sister-in-law.

The family struggles with trauma, especially the two sons.

“He killed my husband. In front of my children, he only had to serve 26 days in prison. When Mr. Williams was arrested, he was not charged but was arrested for aggravated assault. This would have been a secondary crime when Michael was pronounced dead. The charge was dropped for murder by assault, which is a third-degree forgery,” said Mandi Brown, wife of Michael Brown.

Three family members also attended the court hearing on Wednesday and gave statements. “The only reason the family chose the plea deal was to spare the boys trauma,” Cindi Brown said.

The parties agreed to an agreement with a zero-tolerance probation period of five years. “He must not break any laws, otherwise the punishment would take full effect. “It also ensured that the children did not have to testify that the restitution was a significant amount that he could pay very quickly,” said Brandon Merrill, a Utah murder survivor attorney. The refund amount is approximately $213,000.

Mandi Brown, Michael's wife and mother of their children, emphasized that they just wanted to protect their sons from danger. “What they witnessed took away their innocence and led them into a darkness that my husband and I worked so hard to protect them from,” Mandi Brown said.

At the trial, Michael's father-in-law read letters written by his grandchildren:

“I see the whole fight in my head, in great detail. I see dad lying unconscious on the street, bleeding everywhere. We can't spend any more birthdays with our dad, his favorite day of all was Christmas and this day will be like that.” “We can't continue learning sports from him, watching movies with him, playing Legos with him, he's not allowed to sit in the stands and watching us play,” said Lynn Mortensen, Brown’s father-in-law.

The family tells FOX 13 the devastation and heartache is immeasurable. “We will miss him on Thanksgiving. We miss him at Christmas. We missed him on the boy’s birthday and we miss him every single day,” Cindi Brown said.