UPDATE: Nelson convicted of felony from hit-and-run accident

UPDATE: 3:35 p.m.

Michael Nelson has been convicted of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, causing death.

A sentencing date has not been set for him yet. He could spent as many as 15 years in prison.

Nelson was accused of being the hit-and-run driver who killed Robin Rahoi on Marquette County Road KCB, or Lighthouse Road, last December.

The fourth day of the Michael Nelson hit-and-run trial kicked off with Nelson testifying in his own defense.

Defense attorney Sarah Henderson asked Nelson if he recalled hitting something while driving home in the very early morning hours on Dec. 17, 2013.

He said he hit something, but not someone.

“It was a very small object, I never actually saw what it was, but it was small,” Nelson said. “That’s about all I can really say about it.”

“Do you have any further description you can offer about it, dimensions, or the shape? Color or anything,” Henderson asked.

“It was either red or brown,” Nelson replied, “but with the headlights and the darkness it is hard to tell what color something is. It was very small.”

Prosecutor Matt Wiese recalled Michigan State Police Sergeant John Bruno as part of his rebuttal.

Sergeant Bruno was the accident reconstruction specialist on the case and he re-affirmed his belief that the victim, Robin Rahoi, could not have been dislodged from the vehicle unless it had backed up.

Both Wiese and Henderson appealed to the jury in the their closing arguments, telling them to use common sense and logic regarding the evidence, or lack thereof, to reach a verdict.

The jury went into deliberations just before 12:30 this afternoon.