Results tagged “DUI manslaughter” from DUI Lawyers & Attorneys News

This past Tuesday, 28 year old Joseph Ronald Stewart was found guilty of DUI manslaughter by a Santa Rosa County jury.  He was also convicted of two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury.

Stewart is from Navarre and according to witnesses he was fleeing a crash that occurred on Highway 98.  While fleeing the scene of the accident, he crashed into Bartholomew Cole, a Gulf Breeze resident.  Bartholomew was killed upon impact and his wife, Jennifer, and Joel E. Rodriguez were both injured.

Gerald Ward, a Life Guard Paramedic Supervisor, pronounced Cole's death at 3:22 AM.  FHP reports indicate that Stewart had been driving east bound when he approached the Mossy Oaks Drive Intersection, applied the brakes and veered left to avoid collision with Cole.  

At the time of the crash, Cole was trying to complete a left turn in his 1996 Chevy when Stewart hit his vehicle.

If you have been charged with DUI manslaughter, click here to find an attorney that handles DUI cases in your city.

This week, a Florida jury in Escambia County found 41 year old Donald Buffkin guilty of DUI manslaughter.  Two years ago, Buffkin's wife died while riding as a passenger in her husband's car.  Buffkin was impaired at the time of the accident.

The accident occurred on April 10th and led to Buffkin being charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving with a suspended license.  Buffkin's wife, Gari Ann, had been married to her husband four years when she died while riding in his car.

According to police reports, the 41 year old had been driving on Mobile Highway when he lost control of his vehicle, ejecting his wife from the car.  Gari Ann never made it to the hospital because she died at the scene of the accident after suffering serious injuries.  When police arrived at the scene, they administered a breath test, which revealed that Buffkin's BAC (blood alcohol concentration) was .115%.

Buffkin will be sentenced on March 5, 2010.  He faces up to 15 years imprisonment for his wife's death.  Prosecutors say that he may be subjected to enhanced sentencing because he violated his probation for another criminal offense by driving under the influence (DUI).

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Davenport, Florida - a man in Polk County was recently charged with 3 counts of DUI manslaughter after causing a car accident that killed 3 people.   The victims included a pregnant mother and her 11 month-old child.

According to local law enforcement, 21 year old William Garret Coe was charged with DUI manslaughter after his toxicology results were released.  His tests result showed that he was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident.  Coe was formally charged with manslaughter, one count of marijuana possession and one count possession of drug paraphernalia. 

Police say that no one in the car was wearing seatbelts and that Coe sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The victims were 22 year old Eduardo Lopez, 17 year old Lucero Tijerno and her infant daughter.  Tijerno was just 5 months pregnant. 

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Cleveland Browns' wide receiver, Donte Stallworth, has been suspended for the remainder of the 2009 National Football League season.  28 year old Stallworth was placed on suspension after he killed a pedestrian while driving drunk.  Rager Goodell, NFL Commissioner, told Stallworth that he would not be allowed to play this season and would not receive any pay because he violated the league's substance abuse and personal conduct policies for his criminal acts.

In a letter to Stallworth, Goodell wrote, "There is no question that your actions had tragic consequences to an innocent man and his family."

On March 14tth, Stallworth was drinking at a hotel bar near Miami Beach.  He then decided to drive his Bentley while under the influence of alcohol.  That day, he crashed into and killed 59 year old Mario Reyes, a Florida construction worker.  When police arrived, they performed a breath test on Stallworth, who had a blood alcohol concentration of .126.  In the state of Florida, the legal limit is 0.08.

This June, Stallworth pled guilty to manslaughter while driving under the influence.  He was sentenced with 30 days of jail time, 2 years house arrest, 8 years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. 

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A Florida woman has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for causing a DUI accident that resulted in the death of another woman.

According to authorities, Barbara Diffendal crashed into the car of 34-year-old Jeanine Bethoney, who later died from the injuries she sustained in the crash.  According to police, Diffendal fled the scene of the accident while cradling her 4-year-old daughter in her arms.

Police later found Diffendal and her daughter and took them to the hospital for treatment. It wasn't until after toxicology results indicated that Diffendal was intoxicated that she was charged with DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident without rendering aid, and causing death while driving without a license. 

Diffendal was facing a maximum of 30 years in prison, but agreed to a plea bargain with the prosecution for a 13 year sentence instead. Prosecuting attorney Bill Catto said Bethoney's family agreed to a lesser punishment in order to avoid trial.

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A U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas has pled guilty to driving under the influence, and act that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old girl.

Defense attorneys for Edison Bayas, 37, say he is taking full responsibility for the death of Valerie Talamantes, who was killed on impact when he crashed into the rear of her car as she sat waiting at a red light. 

The defense claims Bayas was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when the crash took place.  Bayas' attorneys also asked the jury to take into account that Bayas has served two tours in Iraq, and that he was having a flashback at the time of the accident.

But District Attorney Jaime Esparza, who is prosecuting the case, urged the jury to protect the safety of the community and send a message.

At the time of the crash, Bayas has a blood alcohol concentration of .27, nearly three times the legal limit, and was traveling no less than 60 miles per hour when he collided with Talamantes.

Bayas stands to face two to twenty years in prison.

For more information about DUI vehicular manslaughter, please click here to find a DUI attorney near you.

In Grand Junction, Colorado, 55 year old Anthony Woods was recently charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence (DUI).  Woods was charged in Mesa County after he allegedly ran over his 11 month old granddaughter while driving drunk.
Woods was charged with his crimes today in a Grand Junction courtroom. 

According to reports and Woods' arrest affidavit, the grandfather drank four to six beers over a two to three hour time period on March 14th.  He was doing work on one of his vehicles in his garage while consuming alcohol.  He then proceeded to get into his vehicle and back it out of the garage, which is when his granddaughter (Paytonn Elizabeth Garlick) stepped into the path of the car. 

Paytonn was discovered on the ground unresponsive and not breathing.  Two days after being ran over she died of severe head injuries.  At this time, Woods is released on bail.  All calls made to his residence have not been returned.

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In Boynton Beach, Florida - a woman by the name of Michele Ammirato was arrested by police in September for driving under the influence (DUI).  Recently, police charged Ammirato with both DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. 

Serious criminal charges were brought against Ammirato because while she was driving drunk in September, she struck an 87 year old woman named Patricia Servant with her Kia.  Servant died shortly after being hit.  She was trying to cross the 2600 block of Federal Highway when Ammirato crashed into her.

According to Boynton Beach police reports, Ammirato was driving with a suspended license and when she struck Servant, she did not stop to see if the elderly woman was harmed. 

Additionally, toxicology reports reveal that Ammirato was also driving under the influence of cocaine when the accident occurred. 

At this time, Ammirato remains in police custody at the Palm Beach County jail.  Further court proceedings have been set for a later date and time.

If you have been charged with DUI in Florida, click here to find a DUI defense attorney!