A San Antonio man charged with violating Texas DWI laws was found guilty of murder by jurors this week for the drunk driving accident that killed his fiancee. My San Antonio reports that Donald Huff, a 54-year-old, is now facing life imprisonment for a motorcycle accident that claimed the life of 46-year old Arlene Harding-Watts. Mr. Huff had been convicted of two prior DWI charges before the August 6, 2009 motorcycle accident that occurred on Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio.
Ms. Harding-Watts died several hours after being taken to an area hospital. Her injuries included a broken neck, a nearly severed foot, and blunt-force injuries to her head and abdomen. Mr. Huff did not suffer any injuries from the crash.
Mr. Huff’s defense attorneys contended that it was Ms. Harding-Watts that caused the accident. Ms. Harding-Watts’ blood alcohol content was determined to be 0.089 percent according to autopsy reports. Mr. Huff’s BAC was 0.17 even 3 ½ hours after the accident. According to the report, when paramedics arrived at the scene of the crash, Mr. Huff was in the process of trying to put Ms. Harding-Watts back onto the motorcycle. Prosecutors believe that this behavior is not indicative of an innocent person.
A previous article written for My San Antonio may have forecasted Mr. Huff’s fate. That article noted that in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, prosecutors are cracking down on DWI offenders by upgrading their charges from intoxication manslaughter to murder. In the case of Frances Rosalez Ford, a two-time DWI convict, an October 2010 accident resulted in her murder conviction in Bexar County. Ms. Ford, a 39-year-old, drove the wrong way down U.S. 281 and caused an accident that led to the death of 38-year-old, Lawrence Vigier Belcher. She was the first person in Bexar County to go to jail for murder due to her multiple DWI convictions. However, the article contends, Ms. Ford’s case is not likely unique, but is rather part of a trend that included seven other intoxication-manslaughter cases, all of which were upgraded to murder. The article notes that this is likely a strategy by the state to keep multiple DWI offenders from driving on the streets of Texas.
Multiple DWI offenses in most, if not all, states have serious consequences. Often multiple convictions can pile on jail time, expensive fines, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device, and felony DWI charges. When an innocent motorist or passerby is killed in a drunk driving incident, as the cases above demonstrate, the consequences can be even more serious.
If you have been charged with violating New York DWI laws, you should immediately seek out the assistance of an experienced DWI attorney.
If you are in need of legal help in Texas, check out this law firm in San Antonio.
The exclusive purpose of this article is educational and it is not intended as either legal advice or a general solution to any specific legal problem. Corporate offices for Nave DWI Defense Attorneys are located at 432 N. Franklin Street, Suite 80, Syracuse, NY 13204; Telephone No.: 1-866-792-7800. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
