Convicted hit and run driver, Michael Mosca, sentenced to 10 months in jail



SENTENCING UPDATE April 5, 2019 --
Michael Mosca was sentenced on Friday to 10 months in jail.

SEATTLE --  King County prosecutors say Michael Mosca has pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault and Hit and Run-Gross Misdemeanor in a case that left a 63-year-old man unable to care for himself.  Now, the victim's niece is concerned that Mosca will receive a light sentence.

Seattle Police say Terry Johnson was walking in a crosswalk on 12th Ave. S. and S. Charles in Seattle on March 11, 2018 when Mosca accelerated around a vehicle stopped at a red light and hit him.  Johnson suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent 7 months in the hospital.

Judge Rodger S. Rogoff is scheduled to sentence Mosca on April 5th .    Johnson's niece has been caring for him since the hit and run and is urging people to write letters to the judge on her uncle's behalf.

"Dear Clan, Friends, Family, acquaintances, Followers. I implore anyone mildly considering sending a letter to the Judge of Michael Mosca vs Terrence Johnson to send one today. The sentencing date is April 5th. He will likely plea out, the prosecuting Attorney believes he will only get a maximum of SIX MONTHS and possibly SIX MONTHS of house arrest (maybe time he has already served!) This man is on SSI, with priors, he will never be able to provide any financial compensation for Terry’s lifetime of injuries. He did not even have Auto Insurance, which could have provided compensation, but he didn’t. Even the witnesses were afraid of coming forward to make a statement. This is a low life loser who shouldn’t have freedom from his life of crime.


Terry will be confused for the rest of his life, he will never be able to live independently or able to take care of himself, on his own ever again. He does not have any financial support or income (DSHS says it may effect his caregiver hours, but he could get $61 a month I believe). Terry cannot find the bathroom (even though there is masking tape on the floor from his room to the bathroom) he cannot find his bedroom (even though he sleeps there daily), he does not remember he is in Washington (even though he moved here about 4 years ago), he has about 30 years memory loss, he doesn’t know he lives here and often asks if he can stay the night, how long until we have to leave or thinks it’s someone else’s house entirely," said Mounts in a Facebook post.

You can email letters to the judge on Terry Johnson's behalf to SPD Victim's Advocate Garry.Boulden@Seattle.gov by April 3, 2019.  Include Case # 18-88184 Terrence Johnson in the headline.

Mosca's defense attorney says his client has stayed in contact with him since the incident, is bi-polar and suffers from depression as well as epilepsy.  There was no mention of the fact that police say Mosca repaired his vehicle the day after the crash and then hid it from authorities.  Mosca told the Judge Julie Spector that he has not had a job since 2011 and is on disability.


Judge Spector ordered him to be released from jail on Electronic Home Monitoring and not to drive.



CAPTURED -- A Washington's Most Wanted viewer called 911 after spotting Michael Mosca inside a store on East Marginal Way South.  The tipster also submitted a tip to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.  Seattle Police responded and took Mosca into custody.  He was booked into the King County jail where he is being held on $125,000 bail.

Mosca is WMW Capture #1029 thanks to viewer tips.

WANTED IN SEATTLE --
Hit and run suspect, Michael Mosca, is accused of severely injuring a 63-year-old man when police say he ran him over in a crosswalk and just kept on going.

Terry Johnson is lucky to be alive, but his niece says he's lost 20 years of memory and can't even tie his shoes or shower by himself. Because of the traumatic brain injury he suffered, Terry doesn't even remember the last 7 months he spent at Harborview Medical Center. "There’s a couple of times where we didn't think my uncle was going to make it. It's just really sad what happened to him,” said Terry’s niece, Misty Mounts.

Terry Johnson spent 7 months in the hospital



Terry was walking through the crosswalk at 12th Ave. S. and S. Charles in Seattle on Sunday, March 11th, when police say Mosca ran him down. "The light turns red, everybody stops for the light with the exception of the suspect vehicle. In fact, he tells the people in the car, I'm going to go around," said Ret. Det. Myrle Carner with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. Detectives say Mosca accelerated through the light and hit Terry head-on in the marked crosswalk. "All the witnesses said, ‘I was screaming at this guy to stop, he wouldn't stop,’” said Ret. Det. Carner.



Seattle Police are still searching for Mosca's beige 1998 Mazda Protege and think he's hidden it somewhere. Detectives say he's no longer staying at his apartment.

"He hit my uncle at 50 miles an hour running a red light,’ said Mounts.

Mosca is no stranger to the law. He's been convicted of DUI in Colorado and has a criminal history in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey. "Is he going to turn himself in? No, I doubt it. He's not going to do anything until we find him or until you give us a tip," said Ret. Det. Carner.

Before he was hit, Terry used to love long-distance bike rides and volunteering at the Seattle Indian Center men's shelter -- now, he requires 24/7 care -- all because police say Mosca showed a reckless indifference behind the wheel. "It's scary knowing somebody is out there driving around and doesn't even care if they hurt somebody,” said Mounts.

Michael Mosca is 50 years old, 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds.

If you have any information on where police can find him, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will pay you a cash reward of up to $1,000. Call the hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), or use the P3 Tips App on your smart phone.