On October 27, Tracie Nininger and Jeff Dupree entered a plea of guilty to driving under the influence in Roanoke County Circuit Court. Both also pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter.
The pair is currently on trial for a crash that resulted in the death of a construction worker on Electric Road in February. They waived their right to a jury trial.
During opening statements, the prosecution said that they will present Dupree’s conversation with OnStar shortly before the accident and will also show surveillance video from the Cornerstone Bar showing one of the pair falling down.
The defense plans on proving that the backhoe’s blade, which was covered with asphalt, was sticking out into traffic and that the accident was actually the fault of the construction crew.
