Drunk Driver Gets 30 Years of Jail Time for Murders

The San Antonio Express reported that a drunk driver, Christopher Hughes Lamar, was ordered by jurors on Monday to serve 30 years in prison for each of the deaths he was responsible for when drinking and driving. Lamar crashed into a parked car, killing the two passengers that were in it- a 10 year old girl and her mother. It was noted that Lamar, who is only 27 years old,  became the first person in Bexar County ever convicted of felony murder instead of intoxication manslaughter because of prior DWI convictions. This gave the prosecutors the ability to give him a harsher punishment and extend his jail time 10 years beyond the maximum of 20 years. One of the victim’s family members stated to the courts: “He’s (driven drunk) four times…he can be put away for a long time — it doesn’t matter. He’s an alcoholic. He’s going to always drink and he’s going to always get behind the wheel.” Although, Lamar’s lawyers tried to lower his sentence by stating that the deaths were caused unintentionally, the courts found plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. Tamara Strauch and David Henderson, prosecutors, considered “drinking two Guinness beers plus an entire bottle of vodka, opting to get behind the wheel of a 4,500-pound SUV and driving 80 mph” as serious intentional acts towards causing the two deaths.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Texas DWI attorney for legal assistance.