The biggest DUI trial in Florida is going on right now as former New York Yankee Jim Leyritz is fighting felony DUI charges in a Ft. Lauderdale courtroom. The World Series hero is facing DUI manslaughter charges stemming from a car crash in December of 2007 in which a 30-year-old woman ended up dying. According to SunSentinel.com, the trial has not gone as planned for state prosecutors.
The trial has been going on for a week and numerous factors are already working against the state. The judge in the case ruled that the defense could not introduce evidence that the woman Leyritz is accused of killing was drunk as well the night of the crash with a blood-alcohol level of .18. That didn’t stop Leyritz’s Florida DUI attorney from asking a witness about the number of drinks the woman consumed that night. The witness told the jury he saw her consume three cocktails and two shots of Tequila. The prosecution did not object to any of the questions.
The next blow for the prosecution concerned whether or not Leyritz ran a red light causing the woman’s death. The prosecution said it had two people who were witnesses and would testify that the light was red when Leyritz went through the intersection. The passenger in the car with the former New York Yankee originally said the light was red but on the stand he could not confirm the light had turned from yellow to red when Leyritz drove through the intersection. The second witness, a bystander on the street, couldn’t really pinpoint when he noticed the light was red saying it may have been red after he heard the accident leaving the possibility the light was green or yellow when Leyritz entered the intersection.
The trial is continuing and there may be no verdict for a few weeks. Leyritz could be facing up to 15 years in prison on the DUI manslaughter charge.
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