A Columbus man has been found guilty in the hit-and-run death last year of a Cummins engineer and severely injuring his wife.
Michael DeMaio, 37, of 2023 Chandler Lane, stood with his hands clasped before him and did not visibly react as Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Kathleen “Kitty” Tighe Coriden read the guilty verdicts on four charges reached by a 12-member jury a little after 4 p.m. Thursday.
DeMaio was found guilty of all four charges against him — two counts of leaving the scene of an accident; causing a death when operating a motor vehicle with a controlled substance in his system; and causing serious bodily injury when operating a motor vehicle with a controlled substance in his system.
Two of the counts are Level 3 felonies, one is a Level 4 felony and one is a Level 6 felony.
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After the jury was dismissed, Bartholomew County Jail corrections officers handcuffed DeMaio and took him to the jail, where he will await sentencing.
Penalties on the felonies range up to 16 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the most serious Level 3 offenses, and a low of six months in prison and a $10,000 fine for the Level 6 offense, the least serious among felonies in Indiana.
DeMaio was accused in the death of Cummins engineer Ansul Sharma, 30, and severely injuring his wife, Samira Bhardwaj, who was 28 at the time of the accident, which occurred at 7:15 p.m. March 26, 2017.
“It’s been a year, and the family is still processing this,” Ketan Bhardwaj, the brother of Samira Bhardwaj, said after the trial concluded. “Nothing can bring Ansul back.”
Samira Bhardwaj had initially been listed as a witness in the case, but was not well enough to travel. Ketan Bhardwaj said his sister has been recuperating in India since last June, and had her most recent surgery in December.
“As for Anshul’s family, his mom and dad are still trying to grasp the reality of this. They are still facing issues,” he said. “The family is devastated.”
Ketan Bhardwaj said he would most likely attend the sentencing in May and submit a statement that could be read during the hearing.
He thanked Bartholomew County Deputy Prosecutor Lindsey Kay for her preparation and presentation of the case and for keeping the couple’s extended family informed as the criminal proceedings progressed.
Kay said she was pleased with the guilty verdicts. Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash said he would comment about the case after the sentencing.
DeMaio’s defense attorneys declined to comment.
Before the jury began deliberating, the defense asked for a directed verdict alleging the prosecution’s timeline for the incident did not match the investigation, which Coriden denied. A directed verdict in a jury trial is an order from the judge for the jury to return a particular verdict after a finding that no reasonable jury could reach a different decision.
DeMaio was accused of hitting the married couple with his red minivan as they were walking in the bike lane on Taylor Road near Four Seasons Retirement Center and then driving the damaged vehicle away erratically, which was observed by a witness who notified police. The jury watched a video of the witness identifying DeMaio at the defendant’s home as part of the testimony in the case.
In his statement to police, DeMaio said he had left his Chandler Lane home, heading to work on the night shift at NTN Driveshaft. DeMaio told police he was feeling tired and had reached Taylor Road and U.S. 31 when he realized he had forgotten his NTN identification and turned to go back home, the probable-cause affidavit stated.
DeMaio told police he was driving north on Taylor Road approaching Lakeside when he said “he closed his eyes and his vehicle must have drifted off the roadway,” the affidavit stated. DeMaio told police he “woke up when his vehicle collided with an object.”
In a videotaped statement to police, DeMaio told investigators he went back home because he was unsure about what to do after the collision and planned to walk the short distance back to where it happened after making calls. During the police interview, DeMaio could not explain why he didn’t stay at the scene or notify police, saying only he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.
Toxicology reports released in July 2017 showed DeMaio had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the accident, court records stated. The defendant had tested negative for alcohol intoxication after the accident, but failed a number of sobriety tests that provided probable cause to arrest him, police said during the investigation.
When first-responders arrived at the accident scene, police said they found Bhardwaj on the ground with faint breath and Sharma, who was later confirmed to have died. Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting, ruling that Sharma’s death was a homicide, said the engineer died from blunt force trauma to his head and upper cervical spine.
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Sentencing for Michael DeMaio, 37, of 2023 Chandler Lane, has been set for 1:30 p.m. May 3 in Bartholomew County Superior Court 2. A jury found the Columbus man guilty Thursday in the hit-and-run death last year of a Cummins engineer and severely injuring his wife.
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