A 31 year-old former Pittsburgh police officer was sentenced last week to one to two years in a work release program as a result of an off-duty motorcycle accident which killed his friend's fiancé.
The former officer was convicted on charges of homicide by vehicle while
driving drunk, resulting from the September 26, 2010 crash, which killed the 28 year old fiancé of his friend. She had just finished attending a bachelorette party, and the former officer was giving her a ride home on his motorcycle when the accident occurred. When tested, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be .11, which is above the legal limit of .008. Though he had initially been charged with involuntary manslaughter as well, he was ultimately found not guilty of that charge.
During the hearing the former officer expressed remorse, which seemed to satisfy the victim's family. The charge under which he was convicted - homicide by vehicle while driving drunk – acknowledges that the former officer was driving drunk at the time of the accident, but does not establish that alcohol definitively played a role in the accident. The conviction of this lesser charge, as opposed to the charge of manslaughter, opened the door to the defendant's reduced sentence -one to two years in a halfway house as part of a work release program.
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