Drunk Driving Teenage Driving Manslaughter
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A teenager from Fairfax
County pled guilty on
April 21 to involuntary manslaughter after a 59-year-old woman from Leesburg
died from the personal injuries she received in a drunken-driving crash with
the girl.
Under the plea agreement, the charge of aggravated manslaughter was reduced
by the state to involuntary manslaughter, which carries a lesser penalty. The
17-year-old girl also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken-driving.
According to the girl’s attorney, the evidence the state had was strong, and
the girl wished to accept full responsibility for the tragic accident.
As a first-time offender, the girl’s sentence could range from probation to
a term in a state juvenile facility, according to officials. The length of any
sentence will be determined by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The Virginia juvenile courts
have control over defendants until the age of 21.
On the night of September 20, the girl, whose name has not been released
because she is a minor, had been drinking before her Ford Escape struck the van
of Kathleen Becker, according to police. The girl’s blood-alcohol level was
0.17, over twice the legal limit for adults, according to court records.