The millionaire from Houston, who was accused of DWI in February 2010, running a stop sign and causing a car accident, which resulted in the death of a 23-year-old, was found guilty on all charges on Friday.
He was accused of two counts: DUI manslaughter and failure to render aid; vehicular homicide and failure to give information to authorities.
The millionaire is the heir to a Texas Heating and Air Conditioning fortune and the International Polo Club founder. The night of the accident he bought drinks at two bars. Yet, he testified he was absolutely not intoxicated, impaired or drunk after leaving either of the bars. He also stated his Bentley malfunctioned, which resulted in him not stopping at the stop sign and sending the victim’s car into the canal.
He stated that he didn’t realize after the accident that the victim’s car went into the canal. Following the accident, he testified that he went to a barn where he found a bottle of liquor and drank excessively, which he says resulted in his blood alcohol content that was more than three time’s Florida’s legal limit.
A sentencing hearing will be on April 20. He could face 11.5-30 years in prison.
The parents of the victim also filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the millionaire. Yet, the millionaire adopted his 48-year-old girl friend last year, and the attorneys of the victim’s parents claim he did it to protect his assets. In the end, he did reach a settlement with the family, but no details were released.
One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their life. If your family member has been the victim of a DUI accident, or a wrongful death, the Dallas car accident lawyers of Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP are here to help you through this traumatic time.
