GATES, N.Y. — A Farmington woman’s family expressed their grief and frustration as the man responsible for her death was sentenced.

Justin Krocke, who pled guilty to manslaughter, received a sentence of two to six years for the death of his wife, Kelley Smith.

“He got away with killing my daughter. Two years isn’t enough for the crime,” Joseph Pezzulo said.

Kelley Smith, 36, died in November 2024 after her husband drove his motorcycle onto a sidewalk in Newark, Wayne County. The crash resulted in her death. Susan Pezzulo, Kelley’s mother, expressed her heartbreak.

“I miss her so much! I just feel like her life was a senseless accident,” she said.

Kelley’s parents, Joseph and Susan Pezzulo, said they were dissatisfied with the sentence.

“Two to six isn’t long enough for what he did. And plus all the trouble he’s been in. This isn’t the first time he’s been in trouble,” Joseph Pezzulo said.

“It’s really disgusting,” Susan Pezzulo added.

Before her death, Kelley had decided to separate from her husband, citing an unsafe environment. On the day of the crash, she was preparing to move out of their home. Susan Pezzulo shared her concerns about Kelley’s state that night.

“I don’t think she knew what she was doing. There was so many drugs in her system. There was enough drugs in her to kill a horse,” she said.

Adding to their distress, the Pezzulos said Krocke cremated Kelley without their knowledge and has not given them her ashes.

“No! They won’t give us the ashes,” Susan Pezzulo said.

“The parents or him,” Joseph added.

Kelley’s parents now have legal custody of her son and held a ceremony in January to honor her memory, attended by more than 200 people.

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