Escambia Man Gets 15 Years For DUI Manslaughter

April 20, 2016

Escambia County resident Morgan Kayne Lee Romero was sentenced Tuesday by Circuit Judge Ross Gooman to 15 years in state prison for DUI Manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle carelessly or negligently causing death without having a driver’s license.

The sentence imposed was the maximum that Romero could receive.

The charges arose from March 16, 2015, when Romero, who was 23 at the time, ran off the road and crashed into an oak tree at approximately 1:00 a.m.  His passenger, Brian Lynn Brown, 27 years old, also of Pensacola, died on impact.

Romero had to be extricated from the driver’s seat and was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment.

Testimony at trial established that Romero was driving south on Tanglewood Drive in Milton at a speed of at least 55-60 mph when he missed a 90-degree curve in the road.  Romero’s vehicle, a 2000 Chevrolet truck, traveled approximately 200 feet off the roadway and crashed into a large oak tree in the backyard of a residence and within feet of the back porch.  Tanglewood Drive has a posted speed limit of 25 mph, and a sign warning of the upcoming turn is marked with a speed limit of 15 mph.

A search warrant was completed to examine Romero’s blood and determine its blood-alcohol content.  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was able to determine that at the time of the blood draw—nearly five hours after the crash—Romero still had a blood alcohol level of .113.  Further testimony at trial established that Romero’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was most likely between .129 and .200.  Romero admitted drinking five beers in an hour and a half, one of which he consumed while driving. He claimed that he was not impaired.

Comments

8 Responses to “Escambia Man Gets 15 Years For DUI Manslaughter”

  1. john on April 21st, 2016 6:16 am

    If you never take that first drink, this will never happen to you.

  2. dee on April 20th, 2016 1:31 pm

    It is so sad for both families

  3. Scott Brown on April 20th, 2016 10:47 am

    That was my brother who died and Morgan was a good friend. We have known him for awhile. My brother loss his life and he is losing 15 years :(

  4. Robinhood on April 20th, 2016 10:47 am

    That is what’s wrong with people drinking and driving and the DRUNKS.

    They never will admit when they have had too much to drink to be able to drive. Wonder how long out of the 15 years he will spend in prison that it will take him to realize he is wrong when he says that he was not impaired. Probably 15 years is the answer. I lost a brother on St. Patrick’s day 15 years ago from drinking but he was not driving, he was the passenger BUT he would never ever put on that seat belt because he was always afraid of being trapped in a vehicle and not be able to get out. That one wreck is the one he needed to wear his seat belt since he was thrown out of the vehicle. Seat belts do save lives, they have save me twice and that is for sure. Wear those seat belts !!!!!!!!!!

  5. paul on April 20th, 2016 9:08 am

    “He claimed that he was not impaired” The results show him wrong on this one.

  6. Joe on April 20th, 2016 7:35 am

    Have fun in prison.

  7. john on April 20th, 2016 5:50 am

    He will be around 39 years of age when they let him out!!! And he killed someone!!!

  8. mick on April 20th, 2016 5:09 am

    Max sentence of 15 yrs. Plenty of time to think about the choices he made…

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News