What was reported
On January 15, 2020, the newspaper reported that a 28-year-old man pleaded guilty to hitting and killing someone with his car while driving drunk on Memorial Day weekend in 2019. He was represented by defense attorneys Andrew Parks and Adam Harmelin.
Circuit Judge Cheryl Caracuzzo sentenced him to four years in prison, as agreed in the plea deal, followed by six years of probation after his release.
According to investigators, he was driving south on Interstate 95 near Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach when he crashed into a car parked on the outside shoulder. After the crash, he and the other car’s passenger pulled the driver out and tried CPR. The driver died later that day. Defense attorney Andrew Parks told the paper that his client stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators throughout the case.
Parks said the sentence was short compared to other DUI manslaughter pleas, but “if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, he’s the guy.”
Read the full article by Hannah Winston at The Palm Beach Post.
About DUI manslaughter in Florida
DUI manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida and carries a four-year minimum mandatory prison sentence. Read more about DUI with property damage, injury or death and Florida DUI penalties.