Revere man pleads guilty in 2013 fatal Lynn accident

PEABODY – A Revere man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve a year under house arrest for driving over and killing a Lynn woman in July 2013.Court documents indicate that the defendant is terminally ill and is not expected to live more than six months.Milan Zilic, of Revere, pleaded guilty Thursday in a special time-standards session in Peabody District Court to motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation in connection with the death of Kathleen A. McPartland, 60, of Lynn.Zilic was backing out of a parking lot near Marshview Park on the Saugus River when he struck and killed McPartland as she pushed her 18-month-old grand-niece in a baby carriage on July 21, 2013.Two teenagers witnessed the accident and brought the child to safety while getting Zilic to stop his car.Police said that Zilic said at the scene that he hadn’t seen McPartland when he was backing out of a parking space after having gone fishing. But police said a crash report that Zilic filed a few days after the incident said McPartland stepped out from a parked truck while Zilic was backing up, prompting him to hit her.Zilic was charged in September 2013 with motor-vehicle homicide; manslaughter; and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.The case was moved from Lynn District Court to a special session in Peabody District Court that handles cases that have extended beyond the anticipated timeline.Zilic was scheduled to go to trial Thursday, but instead pleaded guilty to the motor-vehicle homicide charge, according to Essex District Attorney Spokeswoman Carrie Kimball-Monahan.Judge James Barretto sentenced Zilic Friday to 2 ? years in a house of corrections, with the sentence suspended for five years. While on probation, Zilic will be under house arrest. The conviction also results in a 15-year loss of license. Kimball-Monahan said Zilic’s doctor filed documents indicating Zilic was terminally ill with six months to live and had refused treatment.Zilic’s attorney could not be reached for comment Sunday.