“American Idol” alum Caleb Kennedy was sentenced to eight years in prison after drunkenly causing a fatal 2022 car crash.
Kennedy, 20, pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of driving under the influence, Greenville News reported.
He was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay a $25,100 fine, but that was lowered to eight years and $15,100.
Three of those eight years will be served in home detention, and he will also receive credit for the nearly three years he has already served since his arrest.
Kennedy will also serve five years of probation and was ordered to attend mental health and substance abuse counseling.
The victim’s family reportedly wanted Kennedy to serve the maximum 25-year sentence; however, the former singer’s attorney called the sentencing fair.
“He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened,” Greenville, SC-based lawyer Ryan Beasley told the local outlet. “This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road.”
The attorney claimed that his client had a “weird reaction” from prescription medicine and “possibly THC” on the day of the crash.
“A very good person died, and I feel so bad for the Parris family,” Beasley said of victim Larry Duance Parris. “Caleb’s very remorseful, and his heartfelt sympathies are extended to the Parris family. This sentencing starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation.”
Kennedy drove under the influence of marijuana after using a vape pen while on his way to meet his girlfriend in South Carolina on Feb, 8, 2022, according to warrants obtained by the outlet.
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He was in his Ford F-150 truck when he traveled onto a private driveway and hit 54-year-old Parris, who was talking on the phone.
Parris was pushed into a building with Kennedy’s pick-up truck. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.
Kennedy, who was 17 at the time, was arrested and charged with DUI that same day.
The musician already had a controversial past prior to the fatal crash. He competed on Season 19 of the ABC singing competition and was a top-five finalist. He exited the show in 2021 after being seen seated next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood in a Snapchat post.
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” he announced on his Instagram at the time. “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way.”
He continued, “I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”
Kennedy’s mom claimed the video was recorded when he was just 12 years old.
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