article: A parolee who crashed into and killed a newlywed mother while fleeing police in a high speed pursuit apologized to her husband as he was sentenced to at least 20 years' in jail. John McCallum, 27, was this week sentenced for a charge of second-degree murder after he broadsided Francesca Weatherhead, 25, while fleeing police following a botched burglary. The crash at an intersection in Redford, Detroit, flipped Mrs Weatherhead's vehicle and killed her on October 6 last year. Francesca Weatherhead (pictured) was killed when parolee John McCallum collided with her vehicle while fleeing police . McCallum (left) was sentenced to 20 - 45 years' in jail for the killing of Francesca Weatherhead, who had only months before married her college sweetheart Matthew (pictured together right) Her death caused outrage when it was revealed McCallum had been paroled not five months prior - despite being sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison on his latest break-in and drug possession arrest. He had first been eligible for parole in September 2013 but was held longer because authorities thought he needed to complete a violence prevention program. Yet he was released just months later, after the Michigan Department of Corrections decided he successfully passed the program. During sentencing on Tuesday, McCallum told Mrs Weatherhead's husband he thought of what happened every day from inside his jail cell. He said: 'If I could have avoided the death of her, I would have. I would like to say I'm sorry,' the Detroit Free Press reported. Despite his contrition, Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway sentenced him to 20-45 years in prison after he struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which charges of home invasion and reckless driving causing death were dropped. Mrs Weatherhead was driving to her job as a sales manager when McCallum ran a red light in his Ford Escape and struck her car. Francesca and Matthew Weatherhead pose for an engagement photo. The couple married in June but she was killed only months later . The two met at Michigan State University, where Matthew Weatherhead was going to medical school . She had married Matthew Weatherhead in June, and was putting her husband through medical school at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mrs Weatherhead graduated from Trenton High School, where she played softball and was named homecoming queen. She went on to attend Michigan State University and graduated in 2010 with a degree in business administration and marketing. Her family previously expressed their dismay at losing such a beloved family member, The News Herald reported. Her younger sister Nina Vitale said: 'Words cannot express what an overwhelming feeling it is to lose someone so close to you. 'She was more than a daughter, sister, wife or friend. She was our strength and we are lost without her.' Mr Weatherhead told the court his partner was a wonderful wife and would have been a great mother .
highlights: John McCallum has apologized for the death of Francesca Weatherhead .
  He was fleeing police when he ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle .
  Mrs Weatherhead, a newlywed 25-year-old, was killed in the collision .
  It was later revealed McCallum was a recent parolee with a long rap sheet .
  He apologized in court after he was sentenced to at least 20 years' jail .
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