AUBURN — A Florida man admitted to manslaughter Friday in a 2023 crash on Merrow Road that claimed the life of a Texas man, who was a passenger, co-worker and close friend.

Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Jennifer Archer sentenced 25-year-old Pablo Trivino to 13 years in prison, but suspended 10 years of that, leaving three years he will spend behind bars.

After his release, he’ll be on probation for four years.

Prosecutors had argued that Trivino should be incarcerated for five years; the defense sought to have Trivino serve 30 months.

The crime of manslaughter is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Patricia Mador told the judge that an accident reconstruction expert concluded Trivino had been driving a 2012 Ford F-350 company pickup truck with two co-workers as passengers more than twice the posted speed limit of 35 mph shortly after 8 p.m. on June 14, 2023.

The Florida-based company the crew worked for had been hired to create a mud run at a farm in Minot, Mador said.

The three men were staying at a hotel in Lewiston, she said. Trivino was the crew’s supervisor.

He was unfamiliar with the road, which was two lanes with no shoulders and degraded pavement, Mador said.

Trivino later told police he had been following directions on Google maps and that he had been exceeding the speed limit by 10 to 20 mph.

The crash site was at the crest of a hill on a slight curve.

The truck left the road and slammed into a tree on the passenger side.

Police found no evidence of impairment, Mador said.

“This case is a speed case,” she said.

Police found faint skid marks on the hill in the direction the truck was traveling, Mador said.

The truck’s data recorder showed the speed of the truck at one second before the crash was 82 mph at the moment Trivino stepped on the brake pedal, Mador said.

She called the truck’s speed “outrageously high.”

Aaron Kirk, 29, of Porter, Texas, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Trivino and Riker Hicks, 17, of Mobile, Alabama, were taken to a Lewiston hospital where they were treated for injuries and released.

Kirk’s wife and mother of their 7- and 2-year-old children, Maigen Sullivan, told the judge she was familiar with Trivino and knew he didn’t mean to kill her husband.

“But you still knew better,” she said to Trivino from Texas by videoconference monitor in the courtroom.

“You took someone’s life that had children,” she said.

Sullivan said Kirk had looked after Trivino and took care of him.

She said his actions were “careless” and left her with the responsibility to heal herself and her children.

Sullivan said she forgave Trivino and would “love you forever” and he would always be part of their family.

“But, I’m very upset with you and I’m very, very sad for you as well,” she said.

Trivino read a short statement.

“I am truly sorry for my actions. I have learned my lesson,” he said.

“The day I lost my big brother was the hardest day of my life,” a tearful Trivino said, referring to Kirk.

“It felt like a nightmare I’m still stuck in,” he said.

“At the end of the day we loved each other,” he said of Kirk. “I will miss him forever.”

While on probation, Trivino will be barred from using marijuana within eight hours of driving for which he can be tested at random.

He also will be barred from driving a motor vehicle, ATV or snowmobile.

As a result of the manslaughter conviction, the Bureau of Motor Vehicle is expected to suspend Trivino’s license for a minimum of five years.

Trivino also pleaded guilty Friday to reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a felony for which he was sentenced to a concurrent three years in prison.

The bureau is expected to suspend his license for a minimum of two years on the second conviction, Mador said.

An interstate compact with Florida likely means his license will be suspended in that state as well, she said.

Trivino, who had been free on bail, was led away from the courtroom in handcuffs to start serving his sentence.

Justice Archer called the matter “a true tragedy” and concluded that Trivino had a “very low chance” of reoffending.