NEWS: Decapitated Under the Influence

CULTURE: Decapitated Under the Influence

After a night of heavy drinking with his best friend, 21-year old John Kemper Hutcherson decided to drive home drunk.

Francis Daniel Brohm was hanging his head out the window when Hutcherson hit a vertical support wire for a utility pole, instantly decapitating Brohm.

Not only did Hutcherson get the guy killed, he didn't even notice until the cops arrested him the next morning. Hutcherson was sleeping in his blood-splattered shirt. His friend's body was still hanging out of the truck in the driveway.

holy shit.

Whoa.

What's even worse is that this jerkoff was given his first DUI when he was underage. I hope he's off the road forever after this one.

Not only did he get hutcheson killed????? How's that? I didnt see anything about him holding his friend's head out the window. I don't see how he killed anyone.

thats is completely messed up. i hope that guy gets locked up for life

The fact he was 'in control' (loose use of the term) of the vehicle when it happened makes him responsible.

Hence the "vehicular homicide" charge, not "murder". His friend died when he hit the utility pole, just like someone would die if you drove up onto the sidewalk and hit them. You didn't force them onto the sidewalk, but your dumbass, drunken driving maneuvers would cause their death, just like his hitting the utility pole wire while drunk caused his friend to die.

yeah but the last time i checked your head goes in the car, not outside. still not seeing it.

So you've never done anything stupid whilst drunk?

and that is why i don't drink and drive...

Well, last time I checked, your truck belongs on the road, not against a utility pole.

He was drunk, so the leeway offered to a sober person isn't offered to him. Since this is his second DUI (who knows how many times he didn't get caught) and his friend ended up dead because of the drunken driving, I don't blame them for charging him with vehicular homicide. That same charge would be applied if he'd hit a car and killed the passengers. It's not like his friend stuck his head out the window TRYING to get decapitated. His head was out the window because he felt sick. It says that in the article.

Yeah, I'd say that's being generous, I'm surprised they didn't slap him with a third degree murder charge. Along with criminal negligence. What a fucking dumbass. Not that his friend was being all that intelligent by a) riding in a car with a drunken idiot at the wheel and b) hanging his head out the window of said vehicle. But still. I expect he'll be getting the maximum sentence allowable once they convict his sorry ass.

just bc youre sick doesnt make it any safer, and besides he didnt have to get in the car

So... this guy shouldn't get arrested because his friend chose to ride with him? Huh? Talk about shifting blame...

Something similar happened in Virginia near my cousins house in the 80's ...'cept it was a mailbox and my cousin heard the impact....

i dont think anyone is to blame, it was just unfortunate.

Vehicular Homicide:

Statutes which allow a homicide charge to be brought against an individual who kills another person through the operation of a motor vehicle, either intentionally or negligently.

Source

Yeah, that about sums it up.

yeah but you enter a car at your own risk. I learned that in buisness and personal law class.

[Edited on Aug 30, 2004 by BossDJ]

He obviously wasn't using his head anyway...

he's supposedly on suicide watch, now.

he wasn't just a bit drunk either, driving for miles with a bloodsplattered shirt and a dead friend hanging out of your truck and just crawling into bed without noticing.
i can't even imagine how drunk you'd need to be to do that.

I also walk down the street at night at my own risk. Should someone who stabs me not get a murder charge?

Your logic baffles me.