A man from Madison Heights will receive sentencing in April for a wreck in March 2007 in which he was driving under the influence that caused the death of a man from Amherst about a year later.
On January 26, 45-year-old David Kennedy Martin pleaded guilty in Amherst County Circuit Court to charges of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, DUI, and second offense driving while declared a habitual offender. His sentencing is scheduled for April 8.
According to Judge Michael Gamble, the charges against Martin carry a maximum sentence of 26 years in prison.
On March 14, 2007, Ann Elizabeth Blair and her husband, Michael John Blair, had gone to dinner at the Rutledge Inn, according to Amherst Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Anthony Martin. The couple left the restaurant in their red Ford Thunderbird to head home in hopes of being home in time to watch that night’s episode of “American Idol.”
A woman who lived near the restaurant told police that she spotted the black BMW driven by David Martin at an excessive speed before it went into a skid and collided head-on with the Blairs’ vehicle, according to the prosecutor.
According to the prosecutor, David Martin was ejected from his vehicle. He received transport to the University of Virginia Medical Center where a blood test determined his blood-alcohol content to be between 0.17 and 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
The BMW being driven by David Martin was registered to another person. Regina Jones, the owner, told police that he did not have permission to use it.
The Blairs’ received transport to Lynchburg General Hospital. Ann Blair was eventually discharged from the hospital, but Michael Blair suffered multiple complications before his death approximately a year later at the age of 68.