A Tallahassee man has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison and three years of probation in connection with a 2020 speeding crash that killed a grandmother and left a child with lifelong disabilities, prosecutors said.
Henry J. Wilson earlier had been found guilty of vehicular homicide and reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, according to a Aug. 11 news release from the State Attorney’s Office for the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
As part of his sentencing, Wilson’s probation has special conditions that include no driving of a motor vehicle and 120 community service hours to be completed at a trauma center that handles motor vehicle accident victims.
On the evening of March 16, 2020, Wilson and two passengers were heading west on West Tennessee Street. Surveillance footage captured him driving over 92 miles per hour as he passed White Drive, despite the speed limits of the road being 35 mph and 45 mph, the release said.
As he approached Dixie Street, he swerved to avoid colliding into a vehicle in front of him, causing his car to cross all lanes of westbound traffic and hit the curb. His vehicle continued to travel down the sidewalk, ultimately striking a grandmother who was walking a baby in a stroller.
She died on scene. The baby was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital where he was treated for severe injuries, the release said.
Tallahassee police conducted an investigation, extracting crash data records from Wilson’s vehicle, showing he reached speeds of up to 96 mph in the five seconds before the crash.
Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh presided at trial. Wilson was represented by Assistant Public Defender Kurstin Phelps-Hernandez and the case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Rachel Jankowski.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee man gets prison for killing woman, injuring baby in 2020