NKyTribune staff
A man who was involved in an accident while driving drunk, in which two people were killed on New Year’s Eve 2015, has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder.
Huffman
A report from Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders indicates Mark Huffman was weaving in and out of traffic and speeding northbound on KY 17 in Independence on Dec. 31, 2015.
According to the report, Huffman attempted to cross three lanes of traffic to turn left onto Pelly Road, but failed to negotiate the turn. He drove into the southbound lanes of traffic and his car, a Cadillac, collided head on with an SUV occupied by David and Ella McNay.
The vehicle carrying the McNay’s overturned and Ella McNay was killed instantly. David McNay was transported by Air-Care to UC Medical Center, where he died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Huffman, 61, was also injured in the crash and transported to UC Medical Center where his blood-alcohol content registered between .20 and .22, according to the report, more than twice the legal limit. He also tested positive for opiates, benzodiazepines, and other substances.
Huffman was indicted on two count of murder in March, 2016 and received several continuances.
The trial was set to begin on Oct. 18 of this year, but Huffman entered a guilty plea to both murder charges on August 17.
Formal sentencing is scheduled for September 8. Sanders and Asst. Commonwealth’s Attorney Emily Arnzen have recommended a 20 year sentence.
In the more than two years the case was in the courts, Sanders had not made a plea offer.
“It’s important the community see that killing others in drunk or drugged driving crashes will result in Murder convictions and this defendant will likely die in prison,” Sanders said.
In June, a jury found Daniel Greis guilty of murder in a crash that killed a family of five in October. Greis, who was also driving while intoxicated, was on the wrong side of the road and traveling at more than 80 miles an hour when he struck a car driven by Rodney Pollitt the crash killed Pollitt, his fiance, Samantha Malohn, and their three children.
A report issued by the Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office details the events that led to Huffman’s plea of guilty:
On December 31, 2015, approximately 90 minutes before the New Year, Mark Huffman was weaving in and out of traffic while speeding North on KY 17 in Independence. As he approached the intersection of KY17 and Pelly Road, Huffman attempted to cut across three lanes of traffic to turn left onto Pelly.
Sanders
Huffman failed to negotiate the turn and ended up driving into the on-coming, Southbound lanes of traffic.
Huffman’s Cadillac sedan plowed head-on into an SUV carrying David and Ella McNay. The catastrophic impact caused the McNay’s vehicle to overturn. Ella was partially ejected from the vehicle and killed instantly. Other motorists who stopped to assist found David suspended from his seat belt, hanging upside down in the vehicle.
Independence Fire Department extricated David from the vehicle and he was flown via Air-Care to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Despite the best efforts of all the Good Samaritans, first responders, and emergency medical personnel, David also succumbed to his injuries and died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Independence Police found Huffman alone in his vehicle, slumped across the seats. Huffman also sustained serious injuries in the crash and was flown to UCMC. Medical testing at the hospital showed Huffman’s BAC was between .20 and .22. The legal limit in Kentucky is .08.
Huffman’s blood also tested positive for opiates, benzodiazepines, and a number of other substances. Upon release from the hospital, Huffman was arrested and charged with two counts of Murder.
Huffman was indicted by the Kenton County Grand Jury for two counts of Murder on March 11, 2016. The case wounds its way through the court system. The defendant sought and received continuances of several trial dates for over two years. The latest trial date was scheduled for October 30, 2018 but on August 17, 2018, Huffman entered a guilty plea to both Murder charges.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders and Asst. Commonwealth’s Attorney Emily Arnzen are recommending a 20 year sentence. Formal, final sentencing is scheduled before Judge Gregory Bartlett on September 8, 2018.
Sanders, who had not made any plea offers to Huffman in two years of litigation, said the sentence was in no way a reflection of the loss suffered by the McNay family. “We have to into account this defendant’s age and recent jury verdicts on DUI-murder cases,” said Sanders. “It’s important the community see that killing others in drunk or drugged driving crashes will result in Murder convictions and this defendant will likely die in prison,” Sanders said. The McNay’s family was consulted prior to the plea offer and agreed with the prosecutors’ decision.
