Posted on 06/16/2009 12:32:12 PM PDT by Big_Monkey
Accepting responsibility for the drunk-driving crash that killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach, NFL player Donte' Stallworth pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to serve one month in a Miami-Dade County jail.
Stallworth, 28, was immediately taken into custody.
After he gets out, Stallworth will serve two years of house arrest followed by eight years' probation, according to his plea deal. He will also lose his driving privileges for life and have to perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Stallworth has also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to the Reyes family.
''I will continue to bear this burden the rest of my life,'' Stallworth told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy, who imposed the sentence.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
What a crock! Kill a dog and get 21 years in Leavenworth...kill a man and get 30 days. Gimme a break!
Why not just require all of the ABL and most of the NFL to live in prison - and be let out only for games? We’d have saver streets... and fewer rap bar killings.
You stole what I was exactly thinking. Who wants to bet who gets back into the NFL first.
Will he still be playing ball?
Wow 1 month?? Seems like killing somebody while drink not that much better on the Karmic scale than what Madoff did.
I know a guy who got ten years for the same crime. Of course, he didn’t play football so I guess he deserved the longer sentence.
George Tiller’s murderer should’ve just gotten drunk and accidentally ran him over. Would’ve saved him a lifetime behind bars.
It would seem difficult to play football while under house arrest, but I guess anything is possible.
Stallworth bought off the victims family - the number is anywhere from $2 million to $5 million.
I'm surprised that it's not the same, or close in Florida. Although the story doesn't say, I'm guessing that FL accepted a lesser plea, which would be unusual in GA.
Stallworth, following the initial horrendous mistake that cost a man his life, has conducted himself in a stand-up manner in all respects relevant to the incident, including immediately afterward in dealing with police on the scene. If his lawyer was able to negotiate little jail time but serious penalties short of jail, and the victim’s family is satisfied with Stallworth’s contrition and the financial settlement that was negotiated, then it seems to me justice has been served.
2mil to 5mil for a relative’s death? Wow, the price of life these days...must be the failing economy...ergo, Bush’s fault.
will he get weekends off from house arrest?
Right! This was the hot topic as the morning passed on sports radio.
“Money talks, bullsh*t walks”
Truth and logic have no place on this forum.
Not that long ago, the limit was .12 percent, so .126 isn’t all that high. IIRC the guy wasn’t in a crosswalk. If so, a conviction at trial for any crime was not a sure thing.
I agree with some of what you say, but disagree strongly with some other points.
What cannot be escaped is that a man died. And, regardless of how the man's family reacted, the indictment against Stallworth wasn't brought on their behalf, it was brought by the people of the State of Florida. It is their will that must be satisfied, not the will of the family, although the family should be completely without some voice or standing.
If this is seen to be a case of Stallworth's wealth "buying" a favorable outcome, then everyone loses. And, I don't know how it could be seen as anything else. Florida's statute reads as follows...
DUI/Manslaughter: Second Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment).
A sentence of thirty days seems awfully anemic compared to the possible 15 years and $10K that could have been levied. I think a sentence of a year, given Mr. Stallworth's cooperation and contrition would have been more palatable.
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