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In Georgia, vehicular homicide may be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the facts surrounding the case. Ultimately, the decision is left up to prosecutors. When the death is a result of a DUI, reckless driving, attempting to pass a school bus, or evading police, the charge is usually first-degree vehicular homicide, which is a felony. This charge carries a penalty of between three and fifteen years in a state prison. It is also a felony and will be on a person’s permanent record, making it difficult to obtain employment and in some cases, housing.
11 Alive reports that a driver has pleaded guilty in a crash that killed a boy looking for an escaped hamster.
34-year-old Karlrio Kelsey has pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including vehicular homicide, DUI, and more. A judge sentenced him to 30 years, 15 of which will be served in prison.
The charges stem from a November 2018 accident. Kelsey was behind the wheel of a Dodge Ram when he lost control of the vehicle and drove it into a garage. Inside the garage were 12-year-old Braden Stevenson and his friend Lucas McWilliams. They were looking for a hamster that had escaped.
Both boys were rushed to the hospital, where Stevenson died from his injuries. McWilliams suffered from a crushed leg. He has undergone more than a dozen surgeries since the accident. He has another surgery for his knee coming up and continues to need physical therapy.
Stevenson’s mother, Nicole Beard, was upset about the plea deal. She does not believe that justice was served in the matter.
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