LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A man accused of driving drunk and killing another man in Louisville nearly five years ago will avoid going to trial.
Joseph Siami entered a plea agreement Tuesday, just before his trial was scheduled to start.
As part of the deal, Siami pleaded guilty to several charges, including manslaughter, assault and OWI.
Chase Lawson, 20, was killed in a crash involving an alleged drunk driver in November 2021. (Family photo)
He's accused of drunk driving in a crash that killed Chase Lawson, 20, in November 2021 on LaGrange Road, near the Hurstbourne Parkway ramp. Several others were also injured. In June 2022, he was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury.
In body camera footage captured by officers responding to the crash, Siami can be heard telling police that he was driving down LaGrange Road when he hit a car that tried to turn left in front of him. He also tells officers he had "maybe two, three drinks" a few hours before the crash.
On his arrest citation, police wrote that Siami stepped off the line during field sobriety tests, and "had glassy/bloodshot eyes and slurred speech." A breath test at Metro Corrections registered 0.137, which is above the legal limit.
Siami was facing murder charges before Tuesday's plea agreement. The court is now recommending he spend the next 20 years in prison. A judge will have the final say at his sentencing in May.
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