Impaired driver who killed Akron mother at stoplight sentenced to prison

AKRON, Ohio — An impaired driver who killed an Akron mother last year at a red light is heading to prison.

On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Daniel Shanaberger to 10 to 14 years behind bars.

You can watch the sentencing in the player below:

Impaired driver who killed Akron mother at stoplight sentenced to prison

In June, Shanaberger was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them.

Ta’Shanna Junius, 32, was killed in March of 2023 at the intersection of Manchester and Wilbeth roads in Akron.

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Minutes after dropping off her 4-year-old daughter at preschool, Junius stopped at a red light.

Moments later, a Ford Taurus driven by Shanaberger slammed into the victim’s car, pushing it into another vehicle that had also stopped at the light.

The mother was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General, where she died.

Prosecutors said Shanaberger was under the influence of several drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and fentanyl, at the time of the accident.

Loved ones told News 5 that Junius was a nurse but took some time off to get her real estate license. She was a Kent State graduate known for her cooking, sense of humor and simple nature with people.

About two months ago, family members expressed frustration in getting justice because Shanaberger’s trial date was pushed back twice before the plea agreement was reached. “I feel like once we get some type of justice, then I’ll be able to move on to the next steps of the whole grieving process,” said her brother Marcus Junius.

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