Episode 10-MURDER x6: DUI Murders

 

 

Episode 10-MURDER x6: DUI Murders

Of the last 10 parties that you went to, how many didn’t have alcohol?  Probably less than 25% (that’s my own wild speculation).  But alcohol is EVERYWHERE – there is nowhere to hide.  And we as a society like to let loose and let our hair down after work or on weekends.  And that’s okay.  Because drinking is legal-so what’s the big deal? The issue is when you drink and drive.  The question at the beginning of the day should be – how will I get home after I drink?  Today, Margot discusses 5 cases where a military member made one idiotic decision to get behind the wheel of a 3k pound death mobile while intoxicated that resulted in someone’s death.  The prison sentences were reasonably lengthy and for good reason.

 

Dig in with Margot as she discusses the cases against Marine Elijah Ferguson, Airman Lane Wyatt, Airman Anjelika Faul, Soldier Jesse Evans Jr., and Monty Janes (military branch unknown).  In these cases, Margot will also discuss the resulting tragic deaths of Dr. Michael Sein, 20-year old Citari Townes-Sweatt, Retired-Air Force Sergeant Michael David Brown, CNU college students Kimberly Brin and Sierra Smith, and Soldier Michael Tungate.

 

If you or anyone you know needs help finding local helping agencies for mental health or substance abuse, please contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.  The call is FREE and confidential and they can be reached 24/7, 365 days a year.

 

*Click on each image to go directly to the source of the image.

 

The first tragedy is the 200 case of Marine Lance Corporal Elijah Ferguson, from Camp Pendleton, California.  He killed Dr. Michael Sein and injured Dr. Sein’s wife, Grace, after he slammed his Dodge Caliber into Dr. Sein’s Aston Martin while going 75 MPH.  Dr. Sein was stopped at a red light.

 

 

Dr. Sein’s Car Immediately After Ferguson crashed his car into
the stopped vehicle going 75 MPH

 

 

Ferguson’s Car Immediately After the Crash

 

 

Dr. Michael Sein – Died Almost on Impact

 

 

Marine Elijah Ferguson Immediately After the Crash That Killed Dr. Sein.
He was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

 

 

The second tragedy is the case against Air Force Airman First Class Lane Wyatt, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.  In 2013, he killed 20-year old Citari Townes-Sweatt, who was a designated driver, when he took a yellow light in the morning, after a night of drinking.  He injured the additional 4 people in Citari’s car and the 4 people in his car.

20-Year Old Citari Townes-Sweatt
was the designated driver on the day
she was killed.

 

Former Airman Lane Wyatt received an 18 year sentence,
as part of his plea agreement, he will not have to
serve the last 5 years.

 

The third tragedy is the case against Anjelika Faul, a dental assistant at Sheppard AFB, Texas.  In the early morning hours of June 16, 2012, after a night of excessive drinking (to celebrate her return from her Kuwait deployment) including over 20 servings of alcohol, she received a call from a friend in the hospital.  Faul did not feel drunk, so she got in her car and went towards the hospital.  Along the way, she noticed she was going the wrong way and attempted to make a U-Turn in the grassy median.  As she merged, she crashed into a retired Air Force man named Michael Brown.  He was riding a motorcycle. She was eventually convicted of DUI and sentenced to only 2 1/2 years in prison.  Surprisingly, a week after her Article 32 hearing (equivalent to a grand jury hearing), she went out with some friends to a bar, got extremely intoxicated, got into a fight, and was arrested for public intoxication.  Following that weekend, she attempted suicide and was committed to a hospital for 3 weeks.

 

Retired Air Force Sergeant Michael Brown,
was killed during his routine Saturday motorcycle ride.

 

 

 

Anjelika Faul – she entered into a plea agreement,
and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years via military court-martial.

 

 

Anjelika Faul

 

The fourth tragedy is the case against Soldier Jesse Evans Jr., a man who had 4 DUIs from 2004 – 2011 (prior to the case in question).  But he didn’t learn his lesson.  On December 4, 2011, he was driving extremely drunk when he got into the wrong lane going against traffic and he caused a tragic head on collision, killing 19-year old Sierra Smith, and 17-year old Kimberly Brin.  I was not able to find a picture of Sierra Smith, so her picture is missing.  I apologize.

 

This is the car Sierra Smith and Kimberly Brinn were in at the time of the crash.

 

 

 

Kimberly Brin – the 17-year old victim of Jesse’s drunk driving.

 

 

Jesse Evans Jr. was sentenced to 26 years in prison

 

The fifth and final tragedy that I discuss on the podcast is the almost secretive 2017 crash caused by Monty Janes – who has been named as a “military man” in various articles but neither his military branch, nor his rank have been provided.  At least, I have not been able to find it.  Monty was attempting to make a left hand turn against traffic when he crashed into soldier Michael Tungate, who was on a motorcycle heading home after his military shift.  Michael Tungate died a month later in the hospital.  Monty appears to have taken a plea deal to not serve more than 5-years, but the court has decided to leave him in the civilian sector with an ankle monitor, until he is formally retired from the military in 2019.  He is scheduled for sentencing in early 2020.

 

Soldier Michael Steven Tungate was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle home from work.

 

 

After a one-month long fight to survive the injuries he obtained
after being hit by a drunk military man, he died.

 

 

Monty Janes was allowed to quietly retire from the military (branch unknown)
after killing a fellow soldier while driving at least twice above the legal limit.
He plead guilty in exchange for no more than a 5-year sentence,
but the court is waiting until he is fully retired from the
military before handing down their official sentence.
For now, he wears an ankle bracelet.

 

 

 

Episode 10-Resources

Elijah Ferguson Resources:

• https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1565393.html
• https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-xpm-2010-01-22-dpt-ferguson012310-story.html
• https://www.ocregister.com/2010/01/22/former-marine-sentenced-for-killing-doctor/
• https://theinmatesearch.org/inmate-profile/Elijah_Leigh_Ferguson/2250143/
• https://sandiegodui.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/learning-from-elijah-fergusons-mistake/#more-220
• https://www.ocregister.com/2009/11/13/trial-set-for-ex-marine-accused-in-deadly-dui-crash/
• https://www.orangecountyduilawyerblog.com/exmarine_gets_into_dui_crash_i/
• https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-xpm-2009-12-24-dpt-inkout12252009-story.html-
• https://www.ocregister.com/2011/05/06/former-marines-appeal-of-dui-killing-rejected/

Lane Wyatt Resources:

• https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2015/02/27/dui-airman-i-ve-got-a-title-of-murderer-now/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTI2sxAFspc
• https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2018/11/29/drunk-driving-among-veterans-is-up-nearly-60-percent-since-2014-study-finds/
• https://recoveralaska.org/inside-the-crash-that-killed-citari-townes-sweatt/
• https://www.adn.com/state-of-intoxication/article/inside-crash-killed-citari-townes-sweatt/2013/10/12/
• https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/559955/former-airman-sentenced-to-18-years-in-drunken-driving-death-tells-story/
• https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/citari-townes-sweatt-obituary?pid=165686279
• https://www.ktva.com/story/36041603/man-sentenced-in-2013-dui-death 

Anjelika Faul Resources:

• https://www.torch.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/567575/drunk-driving-conviction-sheppard-airman-found-guilty-of-involuntary-manslaught/
• https://www.newschannel6now.com/story/22956329/safb-court-martial/
• https://www.exploretalent.com/profile/acting/8863140/
• https://obituaries.commercial-news.com/obituary/michael-brown-766774081

Jesse Evans Jr. Resources:

• https://cooperhurley.com/blog/fort-eustis-soldier-is-convicted-over-dui-deaths-of-two-christopher-newport-students-in-hampton/
• https://wtkr.com/2012/08/21/soldier-indicted-on-additional-charges-for-fatal-i-64-crash/
• https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20120109-2012-01-09-dp-nws-cp-cnu-victim-family-20120107-story.html
• https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20130529-2013-05-29-dp-nws-evans-sentencing-20130529-story.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovF4rWQDD4o

Monty Janes Resources:

• https://www.wlky.com/article/military-veteran-sentenced-in-dui-crash-that-killed-louisville-solider/27559714
• https://www.wlky.com/article/thanks-to-operation-santa-you-can-help-make-a-childs-christmas-wish-come-true/29847259
• https://www.whas11.com/video/news/crime/monty-janes-deadly-dui-sentencing-delayed/417-0dc980d3-98bd-479a-9379-4143d509fe44
• https://www.whas11.com/article/news/crime/sentencing-for-man-who-pleaded-guilty-in-deadly-2017-drunk-driving-crash-suspended/417-c829e655-3e4e-4244-a6f8-0976bcabb8dc
• https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2017/06/02/mother-hopes-best-after-drunk-driver-puts-son-coma/359058001/

General DUI Stats/Resources:

• https://www.torch.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/643156/sobering-facts/
• https://dui.drivinglaws.org/calc.php
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1507264
• https://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/interactive/alcohol_calculator.asp
• https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/what-is-retrograde-extrapolation-34057 (Extrapolation)

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