Derek Quebedeaux, a Louisiana man sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for driving while under the influence of alcohol and killing three college students, asked for a reduced prison sentence on Wednesday. That sentence was delivered following Quebedeaux’s conviction on three counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injuring and five counts of felony hit-and-run. He asked for credit for time served while he was not in jail but electronically monitored, but that request was denied.
The deadly accident occurred back in back in 2009 when he drove his pickup into his roommate and a crowd of other students, many of whom were his friends, after leaving a night of drinking at a club.
After running the crowd down, he drove away and parked his truck in front of his home about 100 yards from the accident. The victims had reportedly attempted to talk him out of driving his truck home beforehand, but were unsuccessful. Police said that his blood alcohol level was .0152, nearly twice the legal limit, at the time of the crash.
Quebedeaux’s attorney had argued that his client was undergoing rehabilitation, getting his life back on the right path, and had made great progress in jail. Among the signs of progress are that he is working on a degree and helping other inmates with schooling. The arguments, failed to convince the families of the victims.
Though many people do not realize it, criminal defense does not end with a criminal conviction. For those who are convicted, there is the appeals process, and beyond this there is the possibility of pursuing a variety of issues, including prosecutorial misconduct; the recanting of a witness; the arising of new evidence not heard at trial; and deprivation of constitutional rights. In some cases, it is possible to pursue a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel.
Those who feel they could benefit from post conviction relief should contact an experience criminal defense attorney.
Source: Source: WDSU News, “Drunken driver convicted in student deaths seeks reduction in sentence,” May 1, 2013.