Associated Press - June 21, 2009 4:34 PM ET

SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) - A district judge has rejected a request for a new trial from a northern Idaho man sentenced to at least eight years in prison after his truck hit and killed an 18-year-old who was walking along a road.

A jury convicted Paul James Cavanaugh, Jr., four years ago for felony vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash that killed Sarah Marie Jones on March 10, 2005.

Cavanaugh, a 49-year-old from Spirit Lake, testified during trial that he had been drinking the night Jones was killed but had no recollection of being behind the wheel.

First District Judge Steve Verby ruled last week that Cavanaugh failed to provide enough evidence showing a new trial would likely result in his acquittal.

Information from: Bonner Daily Bee, http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com

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