A food delivery driver who fatally shot a trans woman in the parking lot of her Bel Air condo community was sentenced on Monday to serve 10 years in prison, five without the possibility of parole, for second-degree assault.

Brian Delen, 49, was convicted last November in Harford County Circuit Court of second-degree assault and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. He was found not guilty of first- and second-degree murder.

Circuit Court Judge Yolanda L. Curtin also ordered Delen to serve a five-year concurrent sentence on the firearms charge. He will be on supervised probation for five years after release.

Delen’s attorneys argued at trial that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Meghan Lewis, 52, a beloved advocate for LGBTQ rights and avid Grateful Dead fan.

Before Curtin read the sentence, Delen asked to address the court. He turned to Lewis’ family and friends and said he harbored no hate against LGBTQ people.

“I truly did not intend for her to pass,” he said, beginning to cry.

Delen said it had been an “unfortunate encounter.” Some of his family and Lewis’s family members appeared distraught during his address, beginning to cry as he looked around the courtroom.

Eleanor “Ellie” Lewis learned her former spouse had been fatally shot through Facebook. She married Meghan Lewis before her transition and their friendship continued after their divorce as they co-parented their son and daughter, Ellie Lewis said.

“I lost my friend. I lost my ex-husband. I lost my children’s dad,” Ellie Lewis said to the court, her voice breaking.

Since the night her former spouse died, Ellie Lewis said, her days have been all about supporting her children, as Meghan Lewis would have wanted.

Meghan Lewis was a storyteller — and the better the story, the more one should take it with a grain of salt, her ex-wife said. She was also a Navy veteran with a huge heart and was dedicated to her community. The family has dealt with their grief and loss in private, Ellie Lewis said, but she hopes her children will share more about Meghan one day.

According to charging documents, Delen drove to the English Country Manor community to deliver food on Dec. 27, 2023. Authorities said Delen and Meghan Lewis started arguing after he addressed her as “Sir.”

Delen’s attorneys said Meghan Lewis followed Delen as he began to drive off. Delen then shot her, his attorneys said, “out of fear.”

On Monday, Delen’s attorney reiterated that he never intended to kill Meghan Lewis.

“We are all very sorry for your loss,” Katrina Smith said, addressing Meghan Lewis’ family and friends. Ellie Lewis shook her head.

Meghan Lewis worked for over two decades in enterprise technology, putting in long hours and often traveling for her job. She took a sabbatical in November 2022 and wanted to spend time walking her dogs and helping her community. Two days before she died, Meghan Lewis hosted a Christmas dinner party for queer people who had no family or home to go to for the holidays.

During the trial, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey alleged that Delen had “intended to kill.” He had a loaded semiautomatic pistol, two magazines, a folding knife and two magazines in his car the night of the shooting . Meghan Lewis, however, was not “ready for combat,” Healey said, and had no coat or shoes on when she died.

Witnesses said during the trial that they did not hear anyone arguing. One witness said they saw Delen’s car pull over before he leaned out and shot at Lewis.

Delen called 911 and asked for an ambulance, Healey said, but he did not attempt to help Meghan Lewis when she was bleeding from her gunshot wound. He told the operator he had shot someone who had attempted to attack him, saying, “I went right for the gut.” The bullet struck Lewis in her left abdomen.

Prior to sentencing, Healey urged the judge to take into account that Delen had at least four Glock magazines, four knives, six boxes of ammunition and slingshots in his car the night he shot Lewis.

She also asked the judge to consider Delen’s outburst when the jury gave the verdict and said his screams and cussing from the courthouse cell could be heard through the courtroom’s walls.

Healey asked for the maximum sentence of 30 years, and said Delen posed a threat to society. She also read several Facebook posts where Delen mentioned firearms and made jokes involving school shooters, the military and transgender people.

Smith said Delen’s outburst was from frustration with the judicial system and not indicative of future criminal behavior. He does not always say the right thing, she said, and his case was one of “imperfect self-defense.” Delen has also been on edge and stressed, Smith said. He has a heart condition, she said, and is concerned about his health.

She quoted letters from his family and friends that describe Delen as a good person and a loving brother and uncle who used to play the guitar for the children his parents were fostering.

The judge said Delen must also take an anger management course after release and cannot possess firearms or have contact with Meghan Lewis’ family.