Man Gets 18 Years in DUI Wedding Crash

[Mrs Behavin]

MINEOLA, N.Y. (March 1) - A drunken driver was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years to life in prison for a rare murder conviction in the deaths of a limousine chauffeur and a 7-year-old flower girl heading home from a wedding.
Emotional relatives of the two victims faced Martin Heidgen, 25, in the courtroom and told him about their loss, while each urged the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Heidgen showed no reaction to his lighter sentence, while Neil Flynn, whose daughter died in the July 2005 crash, grimaced in disappointment.

Heidgen had downed at least 14 drinks when his pickup truck, driving the wrong way on a Long Island parkway, struck the wedding limousine head-on and killed Stanley Rabinowitz, 59, and Katie Flynn.

Prosecutors, who showed jurors a video of the crash several times during the trial, contend Heidgen never tried to stop and turned slightly toward the limousine moments before impact. Arguing he was in "self-destruct mode," they convinced a jury that Heidgen's actions constituted a "depraved indifference to human life."

Defense attorney Stephen LaMagna didn't deny that his client should be held responsible, but said he was not a murderer.

Top News- Man Gets 18 Years in DUI Wedding Crash - AOL News

Is murder sentence fair?

 

[NicAuf]

As they say "You drink and drive, you lose" Well he drank and drive and killed 2 people. I think the punishment fits the crime. He's gonna lose his freedom so be it.

 

[IntruderLS1]

I'm so hard core on drunk driving. I say if you're caught once, you lose your licence for a year, and spend 50 hours of community service. Twice, you lose your licence for life, and spend a year in jail. Three times, you go to jail 20 years for repeated attempted murder.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

hmm if you are cuaght here in Texas, its automatic jail time the FIRST time you're caught. They are really really hardcore about it here.

 

[Mrs Behavin]

First time here, you sit in a drunk tank for so many hours (dont know how many hrs). They are sooo not strict enough on it here at all!

 

[ngdawg]

He should have gotten the maximum at least.
What that particular article doesn't mention was the fact that Katie's mother, also in the limo, picked up her child's decapitated head....
The families are livid that the judge was that lenient toward this scumbucket. He could possibly be out on parole in less than 10 years. The people he killed won't get that chance.

 

[Homer]

he got what he should have gotten, what pisses me off is the people getting 1/2 that time for murder and i'm not talking by accident . :mad

 

[Nickers]

If you kill someone over here through DUI, you would probably be looking at 3 - 5 years in a medium security prison and depending on your behaviour you'd most likely be out in two. I'm glad he got 18 years. I have attended several fatal accidents and some people don't realise the trauma of such accidents and the grief that families go through after losing a loved one. I wish our judicial system would hand out penalties like that.

 

[Nightflight]

Murder is premeditated by definition. Just how was this premeditated and not culpable homocide or manslaughter? I'm not defending the guy or what he did but let's just be frank here, murder is premeditated & he didn't even premeditate this. For sure throw the book at him, but don't warp law definitions to do it.

 

[TheOriginalJames]

Murder is premeditated by definition. Just how was this premeditated and not culpable homocide or manslaughter? I'm not defending the guy or what he did but let's just be frank here, murder is premeditated & he didn't even premeditate this. For sure throw the book at him, but don't warp law definitions to do it.

I wasn't there, and I'm not him so I can't attest to this 100%, but... when you drink 14 beers and get behind the wheel, you may not have an intent of hurting others, but the fact that the prosecuters were stating he had a depraved indifference to human life. In that sense, you could say that he got in his truck to try to end his life, and/or go out in a 'big bang'.

 

[Nightflight]

I hear what you're saying, they need to just max out the sentencing mandatorily for drunk driving to life in prison with no parole. These people are getting away with murder.

Point in case:

 

[TheOriginalJames]

Some random wacko and an actor are two different things. That is a problem that I hate reading about myself.