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Man who killed Alma nun in hit-and-run sent to prison

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Justin Thomas Fell, 33, was sentenced to 18 months to 15 years in prison.
A man who pleaded no contest to killing a popular nun in a hit-and-run accident in mid-Michigan was sentenced Monday to 18 months to 15 years in prison.
Justin Thomas Fell, 33, apologized in court to the family of Sister Joseph Marie (Madeleine) Ruessmann and to Ruessmann’s order, the Religious Sisters of Mercy, Gratiot County Prosecutor Keith Kushion said.
Ruessmann, 64, died Aug. 17 after a vehicle struck the bicycle she was riding on Michigan Avenue in Alma. A broken bug shield helped lead investigators to Fell.
“It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone involved,” Kushion said. “Sister Joseph Marie was an attorney, as well as being someone very involved in our community here. It’s a tremendous loss to our community.
“By the same token, Mr. Fell was someone with no prior criminal history, and was raising his family and working, but made a series of bad decisions that had very serious consequences.”
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Ruessmann’s death stunned Alma. Police offered a $500 reward for information leading to the person who hit her.
Investigators received a tip about a man who had a damaged vehicle with a missing bug shield, Alma Interim Public Safety Director Mark Williams previously told the Free Press. A piece of a vehicle’s bug shield was found at the accident scene.
The man, who was identified as Fell, reported a car-deer accident to the Gratiot County Sheriff’s Office on the same day Ruessmann was killed.
Investigators searched Fell’s garage and found a broken bug shield that matched the piece of shield found at the scene, Williams said.
Fell pleaded no contest to the 15-year felony charge of failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault, resulting in death. He also pleaded no contest to a 1-year misdemeanor charge of a moving violation causing death. A charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. Judge Randy Tahvonen of the 29th Circuit Court presided over the sentencing.
Fell’s attorney, Zack Everitt, said his client is deeply remorseful. Fell is a married machine operator with a young child, he said.
“He’s been pretty squeaky (clean) his whole life,” Everitt said. “This was a bad thing that happened, and his actions afterward made it so much worse than it needed to be. It’s terrible for everybody.”
Ruessmann was in her late 40s when she joined the conservative Religious Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 1,2000.
She was both a civil lawyer and a Catholic canon lawyer. She also had a master’s degree in business.
“She was an invaluable assistant to the community in financial, legal, and immigration issues as well as an assistant to many other religious communities,” her obituary read.
Ruessmann wore a ring engraved with the motto: “Greater love no man hath.”
Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski.

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