A cardiac nurse who killed a vacationing Canadian couple in Point Loma surrendered on March 6 to start his 180-jail term for vehicular manslaughter.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but excessive speed on North Harbor Drive was.

A packed courtroom filled with friends and family of the victim as well as co-workers of Kevin William Thomer, 36, listened on March 3 to the sentencing concerning the Jan. 19, 2022 deaths of Jerome Zimmer, 71, and Madelyn Zimmer, 69, of Alberta, Canada.

Thomer was booked into the central jail on March 6 after his surrender and the sheriff’s department said his projected release is set for May 25.

Deputy District Attorney Paige Woodward asked San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein to impose one year in jail, but without work furlough or house arrest.

Woodward said Thomer drove his vehicle at 75 mph in a 45 mph zone in the 5000 block of North Harbor Drive where the couple was killed. They were not in a crosswalk as they crossed the street at 5:55 p.m.

“He was driving too fast,” said Woodward. “Their lives are worth something. He’s still minimizing his conduct.”

Four children of the couple spoke at the sentencing, with one daughter telling the judge “every day is a struggle.”

“They were the best parents on earth,” said Garrett Zimmer.

“I’m so angry. Their deaths are the first thing I think when I wake up and the last thing I think when I go to sleep,” said Carmen Zimmer. “One year in custody is not enough.”

Carmen Zimmer held up a plastic bag of her mother’s belongings, which she said included her broken glasses. She said her parents’ bodies were delivered to her siblings in “two cardboard boxes.”

Thomer’s attorney, Mehrdad Ghassemkhani, sought a sentence of one year but with Thomer being allowed to work as a cardiac nurse during the day and at a work furlough center at night.

The head of the cardiac surgery at UC San Diego Medical Center told the judge how valuable Thomer is to the staff and “losing him will have a great impact.” He said he would rank Thomer in the top 1% of staffers.

“I will bear this burden for the rest of my life. I will be more careful,” said Thomer. “I know the pain from this loss. I would have loved to have known them.”

Goldstein told Thomer he should have not been speeding in an area he was familiar with and that he knew contained hotels. Goldstein said Thomer “drove in an angry manner.”

“Your conduct is the main cause of this homicide,” said Goldstein.

Goldstein placed Thomer on two years probation and gave him credit for previously serving four days in jail before he posted a $50,000 bond.

Thomer pleaded guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter on Nov. 7. Goldstein turned down a petition last June from the California Board of Registered Nursing to restrict his nursing practice.

Thomer did not leave the scene of the collision and Harbor Police officers arrested him afterward.

Jerome Zimmer was a longtime educator in a Catholic school system, according to his obituary.