Man gets 20 years in auto-manslaughter case
A 27-year-old man whose blood alcohol level measured twice the legal limit and who was speeding at 82 mph when his car struck two pedestrians on the shoulder of Interstate 70 was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison.
Donneil Raeburn had been found guilty in April of two counts of manslaughter. Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Cavanaugh handed the suspect the maximum sentence, 10 years for each victim, and made the terms consecutive.
The families of the victims, Jonathan Henderson, 29, and his girlfriend, Mary-Kathryn Abernathy, 21, issued a statement after the hearing.
“This has been a long and difficult ordeal and while we are certainly mindful that no amount of time served will bring Mary-Kathryn and Jon to back to us, this sentence does help to bring about resolution in this tragic incident,” the statement says.
“We are very pleased that Judge Cavanaugh and the Maryland court system has sent out a strong message to its citizens, that drinking and driving will not be tolerated.”
The crash occurred in the early hours of June 21, 2009, when Raeburn’s Chevrolet Impala hit the two pedestrians and another car as it raced west on I-70. Prosecutors said the Impala left the roadway as it approached the Baltimore Beltway.
Cavanaugh, who presided over a bench trial, meaning he, not a jury, found Raeburn guilty, said at the time that the suspect’s blood-alcohol content measured .16 percent four hours after the crash. He said the impact was so severe he could not tell which car was which — Raeburn’s Impala or the victim’s Chevrolet Cavalier.
Comments
Drinking to excess and driving is the equivilent of taking a loaded gun and randomly shooting it down a stretch of highway. Perhaps you may hit someone and maybe not, but equally as dangerous. A judge who has the fortitude not to coddle such offenders should set an example for other judges who, for reasons never explained, slap the wrists of offenders, knowing full well that attempted murder using any other weapon would mandate jailtime.
Posted by: Jim | August 20, 2011 1:34 PM