HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — A former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student will spend 12 to 16 years in prison for a DWI crash that killed two Charlotte women and a child.
A jury in Orange County found Chandler Kania, 21, guilty Monday of involuntary manslaughter, Channel 9's news partner, WTVD, reported.
Kania had been charged with second-degree murder, but jurors found him guilty on the lesser charges.
Prosecutors said Kania was heading north in the southbound lanes on I-85 in July 2015 when he collided head-on with a Jeep Wrangler. Darlene McGee, 46, of Charlotte, her friend Felecia Harris, 49, of Charlotte, and Harris’ granddaughter, Jahnice Beard, 6, of Brooklyn, New York, died in the crash. The crash also left Harris’ daughter, Jahnia King, 9, seriously hurt.
Kania already pleaded guilty to charges of DWI, felony death by motor vehicle and felony serious injury by motor vehicle.
The victims’ families and the survivor of the crash spoke after hearing the verdict.
Kania read a statement in court as well.
“I allowed alcohol and marijuana to consume me. I do not recall this night in its entirety but its ramifications I endure every moment of my life,” Kania said.
The judge said if any good can come out of this case, he hopes it prompts parents to talk to their children about the dangers of drunk driving.
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