With her guilty plea, Cook, 58, admitted to driving drunk and leaving the scene after striking Thomas Palermo, a 41-year-old father of two young children, on Dec. 27. Cook had been sending text messages while she was driving, Assistant State's Attorney Kurt Bjorklund said, and did not return to the scene until 30 minutes later at the urging of a friend.

Her blood-alcohol content registered a .22 on a breath test, nearly three times the legal limit.

Cook, the first woman to reach the position of bishop in the diocese, has been receiveing alcohol counseling and remains free on $2.5 million bail. Her attorney, David Irwin, said he would argue for less time than prosecutors are seeking, citing that she had "mostly led a life that most would consider model."

Cook nodded slowly as Doory asked questions about whether she understood the implications of pleading guilty. As Bjorklund read the statement of facts, she bowed her head and appeared to close her eyes.

Palermo's family, who attended the hearing, declined to answer questions about whether they were satisfied with prosecutors' sentencing request. In a statement, sister-in-law Alisa Rock said the family would "advocate the maximum penalty allowed under law."

"It's time for us as a communitiy to send a strong message that we will not tolerate drivers who text on their smart phones, or drive while intoxicated," the statement said. "The next victim could be your parents, your child, your friend — even you."

Bicycle advocates Liz Cornish, of Bikemore, and Nate Evans, of Bike Maryland, attended the hearing and said they did not believe the sentence prosecutors are seeking is sufficient. They say tougher penalties would deter others from committing similar crimes and contribute to a greater awareness around the "immense responsibility that comes with operating a motor vehicle.

"We believe the best way to honor Tom is to continue to bring awareness to the type of traffic violence that causes families like Tom's immense pain every day," she said.

The State's Attorney's Office declined to comment on how they reached the plea offer and sentencing recommendation, but said prosecutors have been in "close communication with the Palermo and Rock families since the beginning of this process, and have fully explained the state's sentencing recommendation and how ultimately the final sentencing determination will be up to the court."

Cook was elected bishop suffragan of Maryland's Episcopal diocese last year. The diocese came under criticism after it acknowledged that a search committee that vetted Cook knew she had been arrested on a DUI charge in 2010 but did not share that information with the electors who voted on her candidacy.

In that case, Cook was pulled over for driving on the shoulder of the road with a shredded tire, and her blood-alcohol level was measured at more than three times the legal limit. She had marijuana and two bottles of liquor in her car, and an officer wrote in a police report that she was so intoxicated that he ended her field sobriety test because he feared she might hurt herself. Cook eventually pleaded guilty in that case, telling an Eastern Shore judge that it was a "major wake-up call in my life," and she received one year of supervised probation.

Diocesan officials have said they knew none of the details surrounding that arrest during their search and would have eliminated Cook as a candidate if they had.

She resigned her position on May 1, and her clergy credentials have been revoked.

Prosecutors said Cook was driving drunk at 2:30 p.m. on a Sunday and texting when she left a traffic lane on Roland Avenue in Roland Park, entered a bike lane Palermo was traveling in and struck him. The crash caused serious damage to Cook's front hood and windshield, and Bjorklund said Palermo's body was "jettisoned" to the side of the road. But Cook continued driving.

Cook first circled back to the scene, then continued to her home up the street "and only utlimately returned to the scene after the prodding of a friend," the prosecutor said.

She pleaded guilty to one count of automobile manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years; leaving the scene of a fatal accident, which also carries a maximum penalty of 10 years; and driving while under the influence and texting while driving, which both bring a maximum penalty of one year.

By suspending half the sentence, Cook would serve 10 years and a judge could impose the remaining term if she violated her probation. The terms of her probation would include installing an ignition interlock device in her car and continuing to attend counseling.

Cook appeared in court a day before her trial was scheduled to begin. Her attorney previously had said that they were considering a plea and didn't want to go through a trial "for everyone's sake."

When she was sworn in, a clerk asked if she promised to tell the truth "so help you God."

"So help me God," Cook repeated back to her.

Asked if she had any mental health problems, she looked to Irwin, who said she was being treated for alcoholism. After the hearing, Irwin said Cook wants to speak out about the incident, but he is advising her not to until her sentencing.

Doory told Cook he has an open mind about her sentence. "If anyone tells you they know what I am going to sentence, you have been misled," Doory said.

"We hope that one day Bishop Cook can truly grasp the enormity of the loss that her reckless behavior caused" his family, friends and the community, Rock said in the family's statement.

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