Former Bishop Who Hit, Killed Bicyclist Driving Drunk Almost Eligible For Parole

BALTIMORE (AP) — A former Episcopal bishop who killed a bicyclist in Baltimore while driving drunk is eligible for parole next month.

News outlets report 60-year-old Heather Elizabeth Cook becomes eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of her seven-year sentence.

Cook was sentenced in October 2015 after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence and texting while driving. Cook struck 41-year-old Thomas Palermo in December 2014.

Palermo was married with two kids.

Her blood-alcohol content registered at nearly thrice the legal limit more than 30 minutes after the crash. Cook had previously pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving charge in 2010.

At the time of the crash, she was the second-highest-ranking leader of the Episcopal diocese.

Her hearing will be held May 9.

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