Former Penn State student Ahmed Alqubaisi entered a guilty plea deal Friday afternoon at the Centre County Courthouse. He pleaded guilty to accidentally killing fellow student Lovisa Arnesson-Cronhamre, a Swedish doctoral student.
On Sept. 12, 2023, Alqubaisi lost control of his car on Park Avenue in State College. He drove across the oncoming lane and onto the sidewalk and hit Arnesson-Cronhamre where she was jogging.
Alqubaisi was sentenced to 33 days to 23 and a half months in the Centre County Correctional Facility, followed by 5 years of probation. He will also have to pay a $1,000 fine. Alqubaisi's passport was previously taken as part of his bail, but it will be given back to his attorneys.
In a statement to WPSU, Deputy District Attorney Megan McGoron said, “Lovisa was an intelligent, lovely young woman, whose life was taken far too soon. The sentence allows the family to move forward and focus on cherishing Lovisa’s memory.”
McGoron said the family wished for the case to end quickly, which is why they agreed to the plea agreement. Arnesson-Cronhamre’s family watched the sentencing from a Zoom call and declined to comment.
State College police previously said Alqubaisi, who is from the United Arab Emirates, was speeding and lost control of his sports car. Police said he was driving with a learner's permit and had little driving experience. Police also said weather and roadway conditions played a role in the crash.
The crash left Arnesson-Cronhamre with a brain bleed and a broken neck, arm and foot. She was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center and later flown to UPMC Altoona, where she was pronounced dead the next day.
Alqubaisi's defense attorney denied the crash was a result of reckless driving and called it an accident.
