A JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, MAN APPEARED IN COURT MONDAY and pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing a Clinton firefighter and his wife in an auto accident. Eddie McGowan, a captain and 18-yr.-veteran of the Clinton Fire Dept. and his wife Vicki were riding in their car with their two daughters in the back seat when Christopher Spell crashed into them while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Capt. Eddie McGowan and
Vicki McGowan
(Clarion-Ledger photo)
The crash that took place in August of 2007 killed both parents and injured the two girls. According to Hinds County District Attorney Robert Schuler Smith, Spell was going 83 mph in a 35 mph zone. Smith said blood alcohol level when he was tested several hours after the crash was .06. That’s below the legal limit of .08. But the alcohol level in his urine was 1.0, which is above the legal limit.
The judge levied the maximum sentence for the crimes, 20 years imprisonment on each count with no time suspended. They will be served concurrently.
WAPT-TV Ch. 16 Jackson has a video report on the case:
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