A judge in Leavenworth departed from Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Friday in sentencing a man convicted of the drunk-driving deaths of his brother and uncle.
William Wilson of Basehor, Kansas was convicted in June of involuntary manslaughter due to DUI. Wilson, Justin Wilson and Jessie Aldrich were traveling back from a drinking establishment on June 13, 2015 when their vehicle crashed, according to Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.
A packed room of friends and family of Wilson testified to the character and hard work of Wilson, and all asked that he receive probation. The sentencing guildelines call for a mandatory prison sentence, and the standard sentence is 41 months, according to Thompson.
Defense attorney James Colgan argued for a new trial. Colgan argued that the evidence did not show Wilson was the driver, although the prosecutor and the jury disagreed. The judge denied the motion for a new trial.
But, District Judge Gunnar Sundby departed from the guidelines. He suspended a 41-month prison sentence, ordered a one year jail sentence and with 36 months probation. Sundby said Wilson would be eligible for work release.
Thompson said Wilson was just 20 years old, and thus not old enough to drink, when the crash occured on County Road One just north of Eudora near the Kansas River. Justin Wilson and Jessie Aldrich, were found dead, ejected from the vehicle. Investigators said no one was wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle had veered off the road and into a tree. Willie Wilson was the only one found alive at the scene.
All three were slated to be groomsmen in a wedding later that Saturday at Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery in Basehor, which is where they lived. Willie Wilson was taken into custody at that time. The wedding between Zach Wilson and Shanna Breuer was postponed due to the tragedy. Willie Wilson was the brother of the groom and also related to the victims. It is believed they had left a drinking establishment around 2 to 3 am. Deputies responded to the crash at around 5 am. At that time, a test showed Willie Wilson to have a .09 blood-alcohol content