RICHMOND, Texas – A Richmond man has been sent to prison for a drunk-driving accident that left one woman dead and another injured.
Darwin Geovanny Turnil, 24, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for intoxicated manslaughter.
Recommended Videos
Officials said because the court ruled that Turnil's truck was a deadly weapon, he must serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole again.
In September 2010, the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office said Emily Blackburn, 22, and her passenger, Joanna Jones, were stopped in traffic on US 59 around 3 a.m. as authorities cleared an accident from the road.
Officials said Turnil slammed into the rear of Blackburn's car, killing her instantly. Jones had to be flown to a hospital.
Investigators said Turnil was seen a short time after the accident throwing beer cans over the side of the freeway.
Witnesses described Turnil as staggering around and appeared to be unconcerned about the wreck he had just caused, officials said.
Investigators said Turnil refused to perform any field sobriety tests and was combative with law enforcement. Once detained inside a patrol car, officials said Turnil even kicked the car window out.
Officials said a mandatory blood sample taken shortly after the crash indicated a blood alcohol level of .22 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood -- almost three times the legal limit.
A woman riding with Turnil told Department of Public Safety troopers at the scene that they had been at a bar, where she tried to take Turnil's keys away, officials said.
Investigators said she also told law enforcement that right after the crash, Turnil asked her to pretend that she was driving.
In court, Turnil testified that he did not recall any of the details of the crash, but he did remember having less than six beers that night, officials said.
Blackburn was a softball player at the University of Texas-San Antonio, where she attended college. Both her father and sister testified during the hearing. Jones also testified about the lasting physical and mental effects from her injuries. About 40 of Blackburn's friends and family attended the hearing, officials said.
"Thankfully, Joanna survived. But she carried the burden of describing what happened to her and Emily in a public courtroom," said Assistant District Attorney Mark LaForge.
The court heard evidence that Turnil was on parole for a felony family violence assault conviction at the time of the wreck, officials said. Turnil had also been previously convicted of seven misdemeanors, although none were alcohol-related.
Turnil was sentenced to 25 years in prison for intoxicated manslaughter and 10 years for intoxicated assault. He was sentenced to another 10 years for tampering with evidence when he threw the beer cans out of his truck. All sentences will run concurrently.
"This case should be a hard lesson for anyone who ever considers drinking and driving. You can change the lives of people you've never met forever," said LaForge.