Reports indicate that on July 26, 2014 a 44-year-old Tennessee woman was impaired as she drove at a high rate of speed. At some point, there was a crash, and her 40-year-old passenger died of injuries he suffered in the crash. Now, two years later, the woman has been sentenced for vehicular homicide.
The crash occurred at approximately 2 a.m. on that date. When the car left the road, it hit a tree and then rolled several times after going airborne. The driver survived, but with injuries. Authorities charged the woman with driving while intoxicated.
A plea deal was reached with prosecutors that required her to plead no contest to vehicular homicide. The deal provides that seven years of her sentence will be suspended after she serves one year in jail. Her sentence is currently set to begin on August 21. In addition, she will not be able to obtain a valid driver's license for five years. This case is now concluded, but another DUI case against her remains open in Clarksville.
At times, the evidence against a Tennessee resident accused of a crime such as vehicular homicide is substantial enough that going to trial might not be in his or her best interest. Therefore, the accused individual's criminal defense team might begin negotiations with prosecutors to achieve a plea agreement on favorable terms. If the court approves it, he or she could receive a reduced sentence and possibly other concessions that will not have as harsh an impact on his or her life as the potential penalties that could have been handed down by the court following a guilty verdict at trial.
Source: tennessean.com, "Clarksville woman sentenced in fatal DUI wreck", Tim Adkins, July 26, 2016