Jump to content
Clubplanet Nightlife Community

It pays to be an FBI pig.


dnice35

Recommended Posts

Ex-FBI Agent Convicted Of Lesser Charges For Wrong-Way Crash

Printable version

E-mail this story to a friend

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A former FBI agent was acquitted Monday of killing two brothers by driving drunk the wrong way down an interstate, but was convicted of lesser charges.

David Farrall was acquitted of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, but convicted of misdemeanor drunken and reckless driving. He faces up to six years in prison.

He had faced up to 30 years for the wreck that killed youth minister Maurice Williams, 23, and his half brother, Craig Chambers, 19, a college student.

Farrall had no reaction as the verdict was read, but his attorney later wiped away tears. The victims' mother, Florence Thompson, cried as the brothers' relatives had their hands and arms clasped.

"It's been a long three years," Farrall said outside the court.

In a message to the victims' relatives, he said, "Hopefully, they'll find some peace and comfort. My heart and prayers go out to them."

Thompson said she found no comfort with the verdict.

"He gets to go home and have Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Where's my sons?" she said.

Levi Williams, the family's civil attorney, said the relatives would move ahead with their civil suits against the FBI, the Florida Highway Patrol and the bar where Farrall was drinking.

Jurors were escorted out of the building and were unavailable for comment.

Defense attorney Bruce Udolf said he was relieved that the jury rejected the most serious charges.

The verdict indicated jurors believed Farrall was drunk, but they didn't think the evidence was clear about who was driving the wrong way, attorneys said.

"Maybe they had a reasonable doubt," prosecutor Michael Horowitz said. "It doesn't mean the brothers were going the wrong way."

Udolf agreed, saying, "It was the correct analysis."

The prosecutor asked that Farrall be jailed immediately, but Circuit Judge Marc Gold set Farrall free without bail. Gold did not set an exact date for sentencing, but said it would be in about four to five weeks.

Jurors deliberated for three days at the end of a five-week trial. They were faced with conflicting testimony over who was driving the wrong way in the Nov. 23, 1999, head-on collision on Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach.

The defense called three witnesses who said they saw a light-colored car heading south in northbound traffic. Farrall's car was dark green. The brothers' car was beige.

Prosecutors had experts testify that physics showed Farrall was driving the wrong way and pointed to his blood-alcohol content of 0.14. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

The defense challenged the reliability of a machine used to calculate Farrall's blood-alcohol level.

Farrall, a 300-pound former weightlifter, testified he wasn't "impaired" after drinking most of two pitchers of beer at a sports bar with a supervisor on the night of the crash. Farrall, 39, was fired after the off-duty crash.

The highway patrol initially reported the brothers were heading the wrong way. The agency reversed its position a month later and apologized to the victims' families for its error.

Critics charged that the highway patrol jumped to the initial conclusion because the victims were black and Farrall is white and was a law enforcement veteran. A separate state investigation found no evidence of racism or a cover-up in the highway patrol's handling of the crash. (AP)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by t0nythelover

the government and this country is turning the clock back to the 1950s when old rich white guys ran everything and did favors for scumbags. did any of you hear that they are trying to overturn roe v. wade? next thing you know theyll bring slavery back.

Dude lets not get ahead of ourselfs, I dont wanna take this thread that far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...