Family Of Artist Nancy Condit Hopes Hit & Run Driver 'Gets Her Arms Around Life'

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - The woman found guilty in the death of Denver artist Nancy Condit was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday in Arapahoe County Court. Dominique Cain, 33, pleaded guilty in February to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

"I feel a little bit better knowing that she's not on the roads driving," said Jill Caplin, Condit's sister-in-law.

Caplin along with her daughter met CBS4's Jamie Leary at the scene of the crash Wednesday night.

"We can start mourning and healing. The hole in our hearts isn't going to go away," said Traci Carpenter, Condit's niece.

On Wednesday the family took time to reflect on the sentence.

"It's not the 10 years that we were hoping for, but it's also at least prison time," Carpenter continued. "I just hope she has the time to get her arms around life and make good choices when she gets out."

Cain has had previous run-ins with the law, and during Wednesday's sentencing family and friends said the judge read aloud all her previous charges.

"There were 20 of them that started in 2001," said Caplin.

Caplin said the most recent one occurred just two weeks before Condit was killed.

"Whoever she stood in front of 13 days prior, if they'd done something different, Nancy would probably still be here."

Her family is glad that a judge finally has prevented Cain from breaking the law.

"He stopped her getting away with breaking the law. He stopped her from abusing the law and he stopped her from getting away with thinking she could do whatever she wanted," said Caplin.

Carpenter says she can now focus more attention on a website she created in her aunt's honor. The site -- sanddollarcards.com -- is named after Condit's now-closed art gallery The Sand Dollar and contains what Carpenter calls Sand Dollar Cards. They are prints of Condit's work.

It's not only a way to keep her artwork alive but also as brings attention to her story. Each print sold helps promote bicycle safety.