A Butler man was sentenced Thursday to serve 1 to 2 years in the county prison after pleading guilty to striking and killing a 26-year-old motorcyclist in 2018 while driving distracted by a social media app on his cellphone.

Nicholas Edward Abbott Jr., 27, of Butler was sentenced to 12 months minus one day to 24 months minus one day in prison for the Aug. 23, 2018, death of Leroy G. Hill IV of New Castle.

Abbott pleaded guilty to a felony charge of homicide by vehicle. There was no plea agreement in the case.

Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Sreib sentenced Abbott after Hill’s parents, siblings and other family members told the court that Hill’s death ended his promising future and devastated the family, and asked for the harshest possible sentence.

Abbott, who lived in Slippery Rock at the time of the incident, apologized to Hill’s family and accepted responsibility for the crash.

“I never meant to hurt anyone,” Abbott said.

He said he has an 18-month-old daughter with his fiancé.

His attorney, Victor Vouga of Butler, said the standard sentencing range for the charge was 3 to 12 months in prison. He asked Streib to consider ordering a mitigated sentence of house arrest so Abbott could continue working, or at least a reduced sentence so he could serve his time in the county prison.

Vouga said Abbott accepted responsibility for the crash and does not have a criminal record. He said no aggravating circumstances, such as texting while driving, speeding or driving under the influence, existed.

After the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Mark Lope said the sentence ordered was at or near the maximum of the standard range in sentencing guidelines.

In addition to homicide by vehicle, Lancaster Township police charged Abbott with involuntary manslaughter and four summary traffic violations. No action was taken Thursday on the other charges.

Hill stopped his motorcycle on Route 19 in Lancaster Township to wait for traffic to clear so he could turn left when Abbott struck him from behind. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene.

Analysis by the state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Computer Crime Unit found that Abbott’s phone was in use, with Instagram open and using data from 1:22 to 1:25 p.m., the time of the crash.

In the mirror on his bike, Hill saw Abbott approaching and tried to get out of the way, but could not, said his father, Leroy G. Hill III.

He said he had what turned out to be his last conversation with his son earlier that day before his son set out on his bike.

“Life’s different now,” Hill III said. “Joy has been stolen from me.”

He said Leroy was his only son and they had a close relationship, spending mornings talking over coffee and going hunting and fishing together.

Now, he said he doesn’t hunt anymore and “fishing lost its joy.“

He said his son was a hard worker who regularly worked 12 hours a day.

Hill III said he had to call Leroy’s mother to tell her their son had been killed.

The victim’s mother, Cynthia Haybarger, said her son was her firstborn and, since his death, she lives in fear of receiving a call saying that another one of her children is dead.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” she said.

She said she cries everyday, no longer enjoys life and doesn’t lean on family members for support because they are also grieving.

“I feel guilty when I have a happy moment,” she said.

Dorian Hill, the victim’s stepmother, said Leroy wanted to get married, raise a family and travel.

Abbott, she said, ignored safe driving laws.

“Leroy paid the ultimate for someone else’s careless act,” she said.

Samantha Hill, one of Leroy’s younger sisters, said she looked up to him and wanted to be like him.

“His life meant so much to so many people,” she said.

She also read victim impact statements from her grandparents, Sheila and Stephen Fruit.

Leroy’s other younger sister, Amanda Manzer, and her husband, Haider Manzer, called Abbott a murderer and said he wouldn’t understand the consequences of his actions unless he receives the harshest sentence possible.

Abbott’s sentence included paying $9,237.56 in restitution and a $1,000 fine, and serving 36 months of probation after he is released from prison.