Ex-Dallas Cowboy Brent guilty, faces up to 20 years for fatal DWI crash

[alp227]

Source: Dallas Morning News

Former Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent faces up to 20 years in prison after a Dallas County jury Wednesday found him guilty of intoxication manslaughter for a 2012 wreck that killed his best friend and teammate.

The verdict followed six days of testimony and arguments and approximately nine total hours of jury deliberations about whether Brent was actually drunk while driving in a Dec. 8, 2012, rollover wreck that killed 25-year-old Jerry Brown Jr., a Cowboys practice squad linebacker. The jury will now have to determine how much time — if any — Brent will spend behind bars for the felony conviction.

Brent — who served 30 days in an Illinois jail in 2009 after being arrested for driving drunk on an expired license and speeding — is eligible for probation. The punishment phase of Brent’s trial is set to begin Thursday.

He did not appear to physically react when state District Judge Robert Burns announced the 10-woman, two-man jury’s verdict, which was rendered Wednesday afternoon after a second day of deliberations. At least one juror appeared to have been crying when she re-entered the courtroom.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140122-ex-dallas-cowboy-brent-guilty-faces-up-to-20-years-for-fatal-dwi-crash.ece

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The same state where the 16-year-old boy got REHABILITATION for a DUI crash that killed FOUR people "because affluenza" was able to throw the book at Josh Brent (despite Brent being a wealthy pro athlete)?

[bobGandolf]

1. Should he serve time.....

yes. Should it many years....no. IMO

[TexasTowelie]

2. Second DUI incident.

Drove 110 mph when he flipped the vehicle according to the police.
Was more concerned about his legal circumstances than whether his best friend lived after the accident.
Belligerent during the blood draw.
BAC of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.
Failed multiple marijuana tests while out on bail.

I think a year for each 0.01 of BAC is appropriate--therefore, an 18 year sentence is fair IMO.

[exboyfil]

3. While a Latino kid

got 10 years for a less severe offense (16 year old driving drunk and ran a stop sign and killed someone) just a few years before that in Texas.

[AngryOldDem]

4. This is a fair conviction -- his pro status has nothing to do with it.

Sports Illustrated last summer did a very good profile of Brent and the events that led up to this accident. I think he was fully expecting this conviction as well as whatever sentence he gets.

Two lives just totally wasted.

[davidpdx]

5. Agreed, a waste

My first wife's brother had a bunch of DUI's in Oregon and his license was suspended. He moved to a state on the east coast and got a license there and continued to rack up DUI's until his license got suspended. Apparently he lived there with his girlfriend. I never met him so I only got things second hand. Anyway, he was driving one night (with a suspended license) and very drunk and was going 90 mph around a curve with his girlfriend in his car and wrapped it around a telephone poll. He lived, but the girlfriend didn't. I was there when he called to talk to his sister (my then wife). She asked me what to do and I said you better find him a really good lawyer. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years. This would have been around 2002, so he's got around 3 years or so left before he gets out.