Inverness man sentenced to 30 years for Feb. 2021 hit and run death of Kathryn Gosman
State Attorney's Office (SAO) Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando counties
Citrus County, Florida - On Monday afternoon, January 29, 2024, 37 year-old Mark Anthony Wieder of Inverness, Florida was sentenced to serve 30 years with the Florida Department of Corrections for the February 25, 2021 hit and run death of 45 year-old Kathryn Gosman. His case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Blake Shore and Tara Hartman.Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando counties
On December 12, 2023, jurors rendered a guilty verdict against Wieder, on a charge of failing to stop at a crash involving a death, after deliberating for nearly 45 minutes.
"As I said previously, the gravity of a fatal hit and run cannot be overstated. Kathryn Gosman's death left her family shattered, as made clear from her husband's testimony today," commented William "Bill" Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. "Thirty years incarcerated is nothing compared to a life taken, but we hope Kathryn's family can finally begin to heal from the suffering caused by Wieder."
Wieder was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol troopers on April 7, 2023, in regard to the February 25, 2021 hit and run death of Kathryn Gosman, age 45, while she was delivering a pizza to a residence located on South Cascade Avenue in Inverness. Mrs. Gosman, who worked as a pre-cook and occasional delivery driver for Angelo's Pizzaria, had just exited her GMC Envoy truck to deliver the food order when she was struck by Wieder's vehicle. The impact of being struck by Wieder's vehicle, a GMC Sierra pickup truck, left Mrs. Gosman more than 100 feet from the site of the impact. Mrs. Gosman was airlifted to an Ocala hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
An investigation by Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Corporal Brian Dokendorf revealed that Wieder's pickup truck exhibited damages consistent with the crash, and paint transfer analysis further linked Wieder's vehicle to the hit and run crash. During the investigation, Wieder claimed he thought he'd struck a deer - yet he failed to stop to inspect the damages, or check on the condition of the alleged deer - and continued to a store, never reporting the incident to authorities. Corporal Dokendorf's investigation led to Wieder's arrest on April 7, 2023.