A Montgomery County judge has sentenced 19-year-old Liam Coskun of Darnestown to 14 years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended, in connection with a May 2025 crash in Gaithersburg that killed 88-year-old Myrtle Gottlieb and injured another person.
According to FOX5, Coskun agreed to waive credit for 11 months he had already served, bringing his total active time to serve to two years and five months. Following his release, he will be required to serve five years of probation, with the first 18 months spent in home detention, according to court officials.
Coskun pleaded guilty in June to grossly negligent manslaughter and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in connection with the fatal collision.
The crash occurred on May 31, 2025, at the intersection of Sam Eig Highway and Fields Road in Gaithersburg. According to prosecutors, Coskun, who did not have a driver’s license or permission to use the Jeep he was driving, failed to stop at a red light and struck the rear of a Toyota Corolla that was stopped at the intersection.
Gottlieb, a passenger in the Toyota, died from her injuries on June 4, 2025. The driver of the Toyota was also injured.
Investigators determined the collision was avoidable. A breath test administered several hours after the crash showed Coskun had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.09. Coskun turned himself in to police on November 21, 2025, and later entered his guilty plea in June 2026. He was sentenced on Friday, October 23.
