Glenpool family faces Christmas without father after fatal hit-and-run

A Glenpool mother and her three children must deal with holiday heartache as they face Christmas without a loving husband and father.<br/><br/>Daniel Newman was killed by a hit and run driver the night

Tuesday, December 13th 2005, 3:34 pm

By: News On 6

A Glenpool mother and her three children must deal with holiday heartache as they face Christmas without a loving husband and father.

Daniel Newman was killed by a hit and run driver the night before Thanksgiving. His car had run out of gas and his family was walking to a nearby gas station.

News on 6 anchor Lori Fullbright says Katrina Newman is alone for the first time in 10 years, when she met and fell in love with a man known to his family as Daniel Paul.

He worked while she raised their three children and he took her everywhere. She doesn't even have a driver's license.

"I don't know what I'll do without him," Katrina says. "I depended on him for everything. Now, I have to depend on myself. I must stay strong for my kids, that's what he would've wanted."

Daniel Paul was carrying two year old Brianna while Katrina and the two other kids, Jonathan and Savannah were walking a few paces behind on the Keystone Expressway the night before Thanksgiving because their car ran out of gas.

A truck hit Daniel and Brianna, then left the scene. Daniel was killed instantly; Brianna is getting better.

"We mainly want to thank people for all their prayers and support," says Carrie Jackson, Daniel's sister. "It's nice to know people still care in the world we live in today."

Norman Stephens was arrested later that night. Daniel Paul's family says they forgive this man. They understand accidents happen, but they don't understand why he kept going.

"It would've made it easier if he showed remorse, but, he'll have to live with his conscience," says Jackson.

They've endured Thanksgiving and two of the chidren's birthdays since Daniel Paul's death. For Christmas, they decorated the tree in his favorite color.

They'll miss the everyday things most.

"Wanting to do stuff with me," says Daniel's son, Jonathan. "He was going to take us to Disneyland and build me in treehouse in the backyard."

In the blink of an eye, so many lives changed.

Once Katrina gets her driver's license, she'll look for a reliable car and then a job.

There is a trust fund set up for the children at First United Bank in Sapulpa.