'Travesty of justice': Teen driver who hit, killed Boynton jogger sentenced for misdemeanor

Yahoo

10-02-2025

WEST PALM BEACH — A teenage driver who hit and killed a Boynton Beach woman pleaded guilty to a minor traffic violation Monday in exchange for 30 days in jail and six months of probation.
Myles Scott, 19, pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license in connection with the crash that killed 44-year-old Caryn Chomsky on June 9. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office found no evidence that Scott drove recklessly, precluding prosecutors from pursuing felony charges against him.
County Judge Marni Bryson sentenced the teen in accordance with a plea agreement negotiated by Scott's attorney, Larry Handfield, and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office. In addition to jail and probation, Scott must also complete a 12-hour driving course.
Caryn's family attended Monday's hearing in shirts that read "Justice for Caryn Chomsky." Though they'd promised to ask Bryson to reject the plea deal, they instead addressed the driver responsible for Caryn's death.
"Myles, you will go to Hell," said Caryn's husband, Ayal Chomsky of suburban Boynton Beach. "You will rot in Hell for what you did. Today is not the end of this tragedy. You may think it is. You may think you got away with killing Caryn, but you did not and will not."
Chomsky promised to use "every single legal avenue" to ensure that every school, employer and person Scott associates with "knows that you killed Caryn forever."
From the courts: Plea deal caps Wellington driver's prison time after 150 mph crash kills six farm workers
Scott said nothing in return. Caryn's daughter, Maya Chomsky, recorded the young man on her phone as deputies fingerprinted him. Then she directed barbs at his parents, too.
"Have fun in hell," she said.
The girl and her father continued to film and deride Scott's family until one deputy ushered them outside.
According to court records, Caryn was running on a sidewalk in suburban Delray Beach on June 9 when Scott veered off Atlantic Avenue and struck her with his 2019 Honda Civic. The impact vaulted Caryn into the air before she landed on the shoulder of the road. Investigators said Scott's car went down an embankment and into a ditch near Florida's Turnpike.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel pronounced Caryn dead at the scene. Scott was uninjured.
He told deputies he fell asleep behind the wheel and woke to see Caryn's body collide with his windshield. Scott requested an attorney when a PBSO traffic homicide investigator attempted to conduct a formal inquiry.
Without evidence that Scott acted recklessly in the moments leading up to the crash, deputies arrested him on account of driving without a suspended license. Caryn's family met with prosecutors from the State Attorney's Office seeking to have Scott charged with vehicular homicide, but the request was denied.
Tesla crash: Attorney who rear-ended Boca Raton motorcyclist with his Tesla pleads guilty for her death
In a statement to The Palm Beach Post, the State Attorney's Office said its charging decision was based on evidence presented by the Sheriff's Office.
"The loss of Ms. Chomsky, who was a beloved member of the community, is a tragedy," the statement read in part. "A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigation determined that reckless driving did not happen prior to the crash. Under Florida law, a charge of vehicular homicide must be based on reckless driving. The PBSO investigation determined it was careless driving, which is a civil traffic citation.
"As a result, the only criminal charge presented to our office was a misdemeanor DUS, or driving while license suspended, revoked, canceled, or disqualified."
Outside of the courtroom, Ayal Chomsky called Monday's plea deal a "travesty of justice" but said prosecutors' and the judge's hands were tied. He vowed to continue to advocate for a new investigation into his wife's death, with hopes that it may spur a vehicular homicide charge.
"I recognize it's hard to go back. I recognize it's hard to acknowledge that you didn't do what you should have done," he said, the words directed at PBSO investigators. "It's not too late."
Sign up for our Post on Boynton Beach weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday!
Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [e-mail]. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Family of Boynton woman killed by driver vows to continue their fight