McNicholas to Serve 4-8 Years

The driver in an August 2011 crash that killed two of his best friends traded a potential 27-and-a-half year sentence for the possibility of being paroled after 3-and-a-half years under a plea agreement reached by both sides Tuesday.

Connor James McNicholas, 20, of Bryant Court in Ambler, pleaded guilty to roughly one-third of the charges related to the single vehicle collision, which claimed the lives of fellow 2010 graduates and on .

McNicholas has pleaded guilty to one of two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence; and one of two counts of homicide by vehicle. In all, McNicholas pleaded guilty to seven of 20 charges that prosecutors had lodged against him last August. The other charges, including DUI, careless driving, two counts of unintentional death as a result of careless driving, and unsworn falsification to authorities, have been withdrawn.

In sentencing McNicholas to a four to eight-year prison sentence that will begin today and run concurrently, Judge William Furber called the incident an "unspeakable tragedy."

Prosecutor Tony Forray, senior deputy attorney general, said both families, as well as the Horsham Police Department, were in favor of the sentence and the Nagel and Coombs families sought a "certain amount of mercy."

Coombs' father, mother and sister all addressed McNicholas, who had played sports with and befriended Edward at age 4 or 5. Eric Coombs, Edward's father, had coached the boys in football and lacrosse. 

"We sat hoping that a McNicholas family member, including you, would come by and say you're sorry," Edward's mother, Forrestine Coombs said to McNicholas, whose parents sat in the front of the packed courtroom, wiping away tears. As the Coombs family spoke, sobs were heard throughout the courtroom.

McNicholas, who  when he lost control of his vehicle, struck a curb, hit several trees and drove 405 feet onto a homeowner’s Wade Avenue property. 

Mr. Coombs, a former Hatboro-Horsham School Board member, in addressing McNicholas, said his son had received a letter from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office two days before the crash, notifying him that he was eligible to serve a second summer internship this summer. 

"Edward should be here right now," he said. "As you embark on the next period of your life, remember that you are still alive and Edward has been taken from us."

While Mr. Coombs said he holds McNicholas "personally responsible" for the death of his son, he told Patch afterward that his family sought leniency because "nothing's going to bring Edward back."

"In my heart, I don't think Connor deserves six years in jail," Mr. Coombs said of the mandatory minimum sentence called for under the statute concerning vehicular homicide. "He just made a mistake."

Robert Nagel's mother, Patricia Nagel told McNicholas that he took away her son Connor's best friend. 

"You took my heart and my soul away," she said. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't cry for my son."

Prior to sentencing, a bespectacled McNicholas, between sobs, stood to address the victims' families. 

"There are no excuses for what I did that night. I lost two of my best friends," McNicholas said. "It just breaks my heart to know that they don't have their sons anymore and I'm responsible for that."

McNicholas, who surrendered following Tuesday’s guilty plea hearing, could be eligible for pre-release after three-and-a-half years served, Scuderi said.

“He’s too good of a kid,” Scuderi said of McNicholas, who was a standout golfer while at Hatboro-Horsham High School and who had continued his prowess in the sport at Temple University, as a freshman earning All-Conference honors and was named Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship. “It’s a disaster. Remorse can not describe what he is (feeling) … He knows he’s responsible. He has never said he was not responsible. Nothing good was going to come out of this.”

For months after the fatal crash, the community collectively mourned the loss of Coombs and Nagel, two lacrosse standouts and popular kids in the Horsham area. A was held at the site of the crash, thousands turned out for the teens’ funerals. Several , and a .

Meanwhile, McNicholas, determined to “keep it together doing something,” last fall as a sophomore, just weeks after the crash, according to Scuderi. His online bio for Temple University’s Fox School of Business, lists McNicholas as majoring in finance and seeking a minor in real estate.

“Growing up I spent most of my time playing sports and studying hard in school. I played mostly every sport growing up until I decided to solely focus on the game of golf,” McNicholas said in his bio. “I have won many golf tournaments throughout my career and would like to play golf throughout my entire lifetime.” 

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