News outlets recently announced that a fourth person died as the result of injuries caused by a drunk driver evading a sobriety checkpoint at the Texas SXSW music festival in March. The young man being held for these four fatalities is now being charged with 20 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, that weapon being his car. Each count refers to one of the 20 people who received injuries from the suspect’s actions behind the wheel. He is also facing two charges of capital murder. Should he be found guilty, he will face the death penalty in Texas.
Here in Arizona, as in Texas, capital punishment is legal. So it is possible for someone convicted of capital murder here that results from DUI, to face that penalty. The mandated method of execution is lethal injection or lethal gas. We’ve all heard the expression “don’t drink yourself to death.” And sadly, when drinking and driving lead to other people losing their lives, that warning may become a sad reality.
This tragic event was sudden and surprising; even now, those who were injured continue their recoveries. Families who lost love ones will continue to carry those losses throughout their own lives. And on another disturbing level, this DUI story actually has a “prequel” — because the man now facing these serious charges had several previous criminal convictions on his record. These included charges of DUI as well as leaving the scene of an accident. Now, this 21-year-old man, if convicted, may reach the end of his life story by means of legal execution.
What happened at SXSW was by no means an everyday event, or an ordinary kind of accident. But a DUI situation was involved, and the impaired driver made a very bad, in fact fatal, error in judgment. Should you find yourself facing any DUI-related situation, or if you have questions about how Arizona laws may affect you, consider talking with an experienced attorney at Zachary Law Group. You may want to take advantage of our FREE 30-minute case evaluation, to learn more about your legal rights and how we can help you pursue the best possible outcome. When you are ready, just give us a call at 1-855-Zach-law.
