Norfolk man gets 25 years for 3-death DUI crash

NORFOLK

Craig Watson partied hard in an Oceanfront motel with a couple of friends and a few women he met at the beach. Then, according to testimony, he climbed behind the wheel of his friend's car, drunk to three times the legal limit for driving, and capped his night with a violent crash that killed three.

On Friday, Watson learned that he would spend 25 years in prison for the consequences of that party. Circuit Judge John R. Doyle III told Watson the deaths were as predictable as if he shot each victim with a gun.

"There's no question in my mind what was going on in this vehicle," Doyle said. "It's almost a commercial against drunk driving."

A jury convicted Watson, 32, in October of driving under the influence and three counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutor Patricia O'Boyle said Watson was driving nearly 100 mph during a trip back from a Virginia Beach motel early on Aug. 11, 2010. Watson continued to swig from a vodka bottle as he drove through the night, she said.

The sedan failed to make a turn at the 1800 block of E. Indian River Road, slammed into a guardrail and several trees, and came to rest on the front porch of a house. When emergency workers arrived at the wreck near the former Ford plant, O'Boyle said "they could hardly tell it was a car."

Three died: Karnell Faulkner, 29; Marquita Walker, 19; and Paris Shorter, 18.

Watson was seriously injured. Two other passengers survived.

Blood drawn from Watson after the crash showed a blood alcohol content more than three times the .08 percent legal limit for driving, according to testimony.

Defense attorney Herman Smith argued that Watson did not seem drunk to the others and was asked to drive the car. "It was an accident," Smith said.

Parents of the victims testified that they still mourn for their children.

Patricia Windley, Faulkner's mother, said her son worked hard and lived with her in Chesapeake. She has not been able to clean her son's room since his death, she said. "It's still not easy," she told the court.

Robert Shorter said his daughter, Paris, was a giving and friendly young woman. She had recently earned her high school equivalency diploma and enrolled in a beauty academy, he said. She hoped to become a hair stylist.

Since the crash, Shorter said, he has visited the site on East Indian River Road every night. Often, he leaves a bouquet of flowers on the ground.

The death of his only child has made him angry, he said. "I'm not the same person."

Watson told the judge he lost a close friend in the accident, and it still bothers him. "I know I made a mistake that night," he said.

After hearing Watson's plea, Doyle imposed the jury's full sentence.

Louis Hansen, 757-446-2341, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com