Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has avoided jail for vehicular manslaughter in a plea deal.
Klinghoffer, who recently toured with Pearl Jam, accepted a no-jail deal to resolve allegations he accidentally struck and killed a pedestrian last year.
Klinghoffer appeared in a courtroom in Alhambra, California, and pleaded no contest to misdemeanour vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
He was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community service.
He also must complete a driver safety class and pay restitution to be determined at a later date, the judge decreed.
Prosecutors filed the criminal charge against Klinghoffer last August after the deadly accident on 18 March 2024.
Officials said Klinghoffer was driving a black 2022 GMC Yukon when his vehicle struck Israel Sanchez on a pedestrian crossing.
Sanchez was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day. His cause of death was blunt force trauma.
After Klinghoffer entered his plea, a prosecutor read an advisement that warned against distracted driving.
“If you continue to drive while distracted, and as a result of your driving someone is killed, you can be charged with murder,” the prosecutor said.
Klinghoffer said he understood.
Addressing Klinghoffer, the victim’s daughter said his actions had caused her “deep and lasting trauma”.
Sanchez’s family filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Klinghoffer last July, claiming he was on his mobile phone when the incident occurred.
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