After a DUI charge that resulted in serious injury to one teenager and the death of another, an ex-FBI agent was convicted of manslaughter and additional charges. He could receive up to 13 years in prison even though sentencing guidelines set a maximum prison term of four years.
According to the authorities, the man rammed into the side of the victim’s car nearly two years ago in Brandywine, Maryland. According to the prosecution, the victim was driving defensively, but the defendant was under the influence as he sped along the road. The prosecutor added that the man’s negligence and illegal actions caused the accident and subsequent injuries and death.
The defendant’s blood alcohol level at the time of the incident was recorded as 0.25 percent, more than three times the legal limit. He resigned from his employment at the FBI shortly after the incident. The man’s defense attorney insisted that his client was not impaired and claimed that the victim pulled into the defendant, leading to the accident. A defense expert testified that the speed of the defendant didn’t contribute to the accident.
In this drunk driving case, the defendant might have been convicted of his charges largely due him operating under the influence rather than being the driver that initiated the accident. According to the criminal defense attorney, the case will now be appealed. In any case, the judge in the case ordered the man to be held in jail until he is sentenced next month.
Source: The Washington Post, “Ex-FBI agent convicted of motor vehicle manslaughter in Maryland crash,” Matt Zapotosky, Oct. 25, 2012