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Tampa Criminal Defense
Tampa's Aggressive Criminal Defense Firm

Recent Posts in DUI Manslaughter Category

May 6, 2010

Tampa DUI News – DUI Manslaughter Sentence Handed Down In Tampa Courtroom

A Tampa man was sentenced to five years in prison today for a Hillsborough DUI manslaughter charge. The Tampa DUI took place following a Buccaneers game.
April 21, 2010

Tampa DUI News – Hillsborough County Students Get A Lesson In The Dangers Of Drunk Driving

With prom scheduled for Saturday, Tampa's Gaither High School student body was given a close up look at DUI and the consequences of driving drunk. The lesson included a lecture by a 20-year-old who killed his brother in a DUI accident.
March 18, 2010

DUI Manslaughter Verdict Comes Back As Guilty For Plant City Man

We were keeping our blog-eye on a Tampa DUI manslaughter trial involving a Plant City man who did not deny drinking but his Tampa Criminal Attorney argued that despite the drunk driving he was not responsible for the accident. The crash resulted in Wyman Fletcher’s untimely death. Now Jonah Kane West is looking at 15 years in prison.

According to TBO.com, West’s blood-alcohol level was presented as being 0.234 during the two-day trial. That is almost three times the legal limit in Florida. The jury needed just 45 minutes to determine that West caused the rear-end collision that took place in 2008 on State Road 39.…

March 17, 2010

Tampa DUI Manslaughter Trial Underway In Hillsborough Court

The State of Florida presented its first witness Wednesday in the DUI manslaughter trial of Jonah Kane West. The drunk driving accident he is accused of causing killed Wyman Fletcher who the state alleges was run off the road by the drunk driver. West’s blood-alcohol level was 0.234 on the night of the accident.

According to a story on TBO.com, one of West’s Tampa Defense Attorneys did not challenge the fact that West was drunk at the time of the accident. They are however claiming the 32-year-old did not cause the accident or the man’s death. The defense lawyers plan to call an expert on accident reconstruction to prove their point.…

March 9, 2010

Tampa DUI Lawyer Fighting To Help DUI Manslaughter Inmate Get A Second Chance

A former federal corrections officer is seeking to have his Florida DUI manslaughter conviction set aside due to mistakes made by his lawyer during his trial. Purdie Burkes was sentenced to five years in prison and still has just over a year left to serve on his sentence. His Tampa DUI lawyer has filed papers with the court asking his case be reviewed.

Burkes was driving in a heavy fog on the morning in which he was convicted of hitting and killing a bicyclist. He had a blood-alcohol level below the legal limit of 0.08 when he was tested via a blood draw but a prosecution expert testified that level would have been higher at the time of the crash.…

March 1, 2010

Alcohol Involved In Tampa Car Accident That Kills One And Injures Three Teenagers

An early morning accident on I-275 in Tampa seems to be alcohol-related according to the Florida Highway Patrol. No charges have been filed yet in the deadly one-car accident, but DUI manslaughter charges could be forthcoming. Three teenagers were injured and a woman died in the alcohol related accident.

According to TBO.com Manuel Rosas was nearing the exit for Howard and Armenia Avenues in south Tampa when the car he was driving spun into a guardrail. A woman sitting in the front seat was thrown from the 1998 Firebird and killed. Three teens in the back seat were all injured and taken to a Tampa hospital where they were listed in serious condition.…

February 11, 2010

Tampa DUI Lawyers Blog | DUI Attorneys in Tampa, FL Blog – Finebloom & Haenel, P.A. Blog

The September 27 crash that took the life of two Cape Coral, Florida nuns has resulted in DUI manslaughter charges being filed against a North Fort Meyers man. Michael G. Hickman has been charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter, DUI second offense or more and DUI with serious bodily injury according to a story on News-Press.com. According to the article, Hickman had a blood alcohol level of .228 at the time of the accident.

Hickman’s blood was drawn at the hospital following the car accident but due to his injuries officer’s could not conduct a breath test. That meant Hickman was still able to drive while charges were pending.…

January 28, 2010

Tampa Father Headed To Jail After Pleading Guilty To DUI Manslaughter

A drunk driving case revolving around an accident that cost Vickie Colonna her life has concluded with Kevin Michael Smith pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter charges in a Tampa court. Smith will spend a year in prison and 10 years on probation. He will also lose his driver’s license permanently. According to TampaBay.com, Smith had a  blood alcohol level of 0.224 when he crashed his pickup on Hillsborough Avenue.

Smith was facing up to 15 years in prison but pled guilty instead of going to trial and was sentenced to 366 days in prison. He is a 36-year-old father of two and will now have to not only go to prison but make restitution in the amount of $12,000.…

January 26, 2010

Hillsborough County Man With Blood-Alcohol Level Of 0.218 Charged With DUI Manslaughter

A 35-year-old Hillsborough County man has been charged with DUI manslaughter according to a story on TBO.com. Paul Michael Parks has been arrested and remains in jail with no bail set. According to deputies Parks had a blood-alcohol level of 0.218 at the time of a head-on crash that killed 47-year-old Karen Weaver of Riverview. Parks was also charged with two counts of driving under the influence with property damage or personal injury.

The accident that cost Weaver her life took place December 19 on Big Bend Road. Parks is accused of driving east in the westbound lane and causing the collision.…

January 12, 2010

Drunk Driving Fatalities Down By Two-Thirds In The Past 25 Years According To USA Today

According to a story in USA Today based on statistics from federal officials, drunk driving fatalities dropped by 7% from 2007 to 2008 and drunken-driving deaths are down 66% since 1982. While the news is good, the article goes on to report 12,000 people died in 2008 due to drunk driving. In the editorial, USA Today’s editorial board makes a strong push for more interlock ignition devices.

The USA Today story uses New Mexico as an example of how ignition interlocks can help save lives. Since 2002, deaths attributed to DUI have dropped 33%. Almost all categories of drunken driving crimes have dropped as well.…

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