The news gets worse for Jim Leyritz
ByTwo stories of note as the Jim Leyritz saga continues. None of the news is good for the former Yankee and one-time World Series hero.
Leo Standora at the Daily News notes that Leyritz’s BAC was twice the legal limit three hours after his fatal auto accident in December. The details are a bit chilling:
Fort Lauderdale cops said Wednesday a blood test taken nearly three hours after the 3:20 a.m. collision registered a .14 alcohol level. The legal limit in Florida is .08. The amount of alcohol in blood reaches its highest level about an hour after drinking.
A second blood test taken at 7:12 a.m., nearly four hours after the crash showed a .13 level…
Investigators who charged Leyritz with manslaughter said he was clearly drunk, citing his “red watery eyes, flushed face and the odor of an alcoholic beverage.” Leyritz stumbled, couldn’t follow instructions from cops, and missed three of six attempts to touch his nose with his finger, police said.
Still, his lawyer has said the case is “certainly not a slam dunk.” David Bogenschutz scoffed at the notion client had no defense.
I’m not a lawyer — yet, at least — but I have no idea what sort of defense Leyritz’s lawyers are going to conjure up here. It seems to me that they would be better off accepting a plea deal.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Fort Lauderdale police have said that Leyrtiz will face an additional manslaughter charge. Based on my reading of the Florida sentencing guidelines and the state’s definition of manslaughter as a felony of the second degree, Leyritz may be facing up to an additional 15 years in prison.
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I’m not a lawyer either but I do know of plenty of DUI charges that have been dropped on technicalities. It wouldn’t shock me if he got off. It certainly doesn’t loo good though.
I am a lawyer, and although I have never tried a DUI case, I strongly suspect that Leyritz will do time, and that he will lose the eventual civil case as well.
Legalities aside, how does someone live with themselves after being responsible something like that?
Agreed Rich. I think that living with that on his conscience is worse than any sentence a judge could hand out.
so ben, you’re the lawyer… i’m gonna guess that joe’s the engineer and mike’s the writer. am I right?
I live in Florida , a NY native , and can tell you they don’t mess around down here regarding DUI related offenses. Leyritz will be doing time , quite a bit.
This dumb as a stump ex-jock is going up the river without a paddle for a long time. He shouldn’t get preferential treatment just cause of who the arrogant sob is. He snuffed out the life of a wife, mother, and woman who had a lot of living to do. This was a disaster waiting to happen. It’s a yet another former athlete tragedy but one others can learn a very valuable lesson from. DON’T DRINK TIL YOU STINK AND THEN DRIVE………..PERIOD!