Driver pleads guilty to killing architect Laura Shinn on Pershing Drive

A Pacific Beach man who was under the influence of drugs when he killed architect Laura Shinn (above) on her bicycle will be sentenced on Feb. 6 and has agreed to accept 13 years in state prison.

Adam David Milavetz, 39, has agreed to contribute $50,000 to the Americans Institute of Architects San Diego, according to court records as part of his guilty plea on Jan. 5 in San Diego Superior Court.

The only charge dismissed against Milavetz was second-degree murder, as he pleaded guilty to the rest of the charges which included possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and narcotics paraphernalia, driving under the influence of drugs, and driving the wrong way on a highway.

Judge Polly Shamoon accepted the guilty pleas, dismissed the murder charge, and set sentencing for Feb. 6. The victim’s family watched the proceedings online. Milavetz remains in jail without bail.

Shinn, 57, was an avid bicyclist and was riding to work on Pershing Drive in North Park on July 20, 2021, when Milavetz struck her from behind in a bicycle lane with his 2011 Prius at 7:30 a.m.

Shinn was the director of facilities planning at San Diego State University and at the time she was board president of the American Institute of Architects San Diego.

Her legacy includes the Laura Schinn Diversity in Architecture Scholarship that is granted to students in high school, community college, and graduate and post-graduate students at accredited schools of architecture.

Milavetz pulled over and a witness saw him throw a bag some distance away, which was recovered and the contents included needles and drugs. Additionally, drugs and needles were found in his car, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.

At the time, Milavetz worked at an inn and also was a delivery driver for a marijuana dispensary. He is not known to have substantial assets, but perhaps his parents or others will pay for the $50,000 scholarship.

A message was left for the prosecutor, but she could not be reached for comment.

Milavetz’s attorney, Joshua Price, wrote in a court document that said Milavetz “agrees to contribute $50,000 to the AIASD Scholarship Fund.”

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