A Morris County Superior Court judge recently reduced the sentence for a driver convicted of causing a fatal DWI crash in Jefferson Township, NJ.
The deadly accident occurred in 2013. The 39-year-old suspect was attending a party at Tomahawk Lake in Sparta, New Jersey. According to authorities, the suspect was drinking at the party.
At some point, the suspect decided to leave the social gathering. Several people got a ride back to Jersey City with the suspect.
Somewhere along Route 15 in Jefferson NJ, the suspect lost control of his SUV and crashed. Three people died as a result of the car accident.
The suspect later registered a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) well above the legal limit of .08 percent. According to Morris County prosecutors, the suspect’s BAC was three times the legal limit in New Jersey.
The suspect was subsequently charged with vehicular manslaughter. The superior court judge later imposed a sentence of 20 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The suspect appealed, prompting the judge to take five years off the sentence. The judge said that he initially intended to impose a sentence of 15 years in NJ State Prison; however, the testimony of a parent of one of the victims apparently influenced the judge’s sentencing decision.
Morris County prosecutors objected to the judge’s decision to lessen the suspect’s punishment.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Judge Reduces Sentence in Fatal Jefferson DWI Crash, Report Says.”
