Man sentenced for killing Lexington lawyer in DUI cycling crash

SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ)- The man convicted of hitting and killing a prominent Lexington lawyer back in 2015 was sentenced to 35 years in prison today.

30-year-old Odilon Paz-Salvador pleaded guilty to the murder of Mark Hinkel.

Paz-Salvador hit and killed Hinkel with his truck during a cycling event in Scott County.

Hinkel’s family was in the courtroom for the sentencing.

It was an emotional day in court for the family of Mark Hinkel, as they faced the man convicted of his murder one final time.

With tears streaming down their faces, Mark Hinkel’s wife and children stood before the court and spoke directly to the man convicted of his murder before his formal sentencing.

Mark’s wife Mary-Lynn had sharp words for her husband’s killer, sharing with him exactly what his actions had done to her family.

“You took away a man that was unlike many people in this world. He was a wonderful man and he should have been allowed to be here a lot longer than he was. You murdered him and I hope and pray that you serve every day of that 35 year sentence,” said Mary-Lynn Hinkel, Mark Hinkel’s wife.

The family says they are in the process of creating a charity foundation in Mark’s name.

They say it is still in the very early planning stages but will entail give bikes to kids in need in the community.