Hit and Run Driver Sentenced to 15 Years after Killing 13-Year-Old Girl

SARASOTA — David Chingcheng Chang, 67, was sentenced to 15 years of prison followed by 3 years of probation by Circuit Court Judge Donna Padar for a hit-and-run incident in Sarasota last year that killed thirteen-year-old Lilly Glaubach.

On August 16, 2022, Glaubach got on her bicycle after finishing class at Pineview School in Osprey. As she rode down the sidewalk of Old Venice Road heading north towards Bay Street, Chang was driving his Acura TL heading west on Bay Street.

Chang was speeding and was not paying attention as he approached the intersection. Lilly continued riding her bike and entered into the crosswalk. While Lilly was in the crosswalk, Chang struck her, throwing her bicycle and body onto his hood, into his windshield, and then onto the street.

Chang continued driving, leaving thirteen-year-old Lilly to die in the street. While other passersby stopped to help Lilly, the Defendant continued driving, ultimately taking his car to a body shop over an hour away from the crash (and his own home).

Chang told the body shop that a tree had fallen on his car and that was the cause of his smashed windshield. Chang returned home that same day, and never contacted law enforcement nor emergency services. A good Samaritan had seen Chang driving on the road and contacted law enforcement sending them photos of the suspicious vehicle.

That tip led law enforcement to Chang's home where after being confronted by the Florida Highway Patrol, he ultimately confessed to the crimes. Lilly tragically died 12 days after the crash in the hospital, after succumbing to her injuries.

On August 31, just a few days after the one-year anniversary of Lilly’s death, Chang faced sentencing for his crimes. Judge Padar heard powerful testimony from the family and friends of the victim, including multiple teenage classmates at Pineview, and Lilly’s mother, father, and stepfather.

During the pronouncement of her sentence, the Judge referenced Chang's lack of any prior criminal history but also noted that he had ample opportunities to make the right decision, and failed... repeatedly. Judge Padar also noted the significant impact that Lilly’s death has had on both families, but also the Sarasota community as a whole. The first 4 years of prison are a minimum mandatory.

"Lilly was just a kid biking home from school in her own neighborhood," said Assistant State Attorney Joshua Wertheim, lead prosecutor in the case. "She was a bright young teenager who had her whole life ahead of her. She could have been anything – a doctor, a lawyer, a judge, or even the President! The defendant, even to this day, and in front of both families, denied that this crash was his fault. The reality is simple. On the day of the crash, he should have pulled over. That is what the law requires, but it’s also what a moral and ethical society demands. I am glad that the defendant was given a sentence that is appropriate for both the nature of the offense and the extent to which he took to cover up his crime."