Louisville man sentenced in fatal 2021 DUI crash

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A man accused of driving drunk and killing another man in Louisville nearly five years ago learned his sentence Friday.

Joseph Siami was sentenced in Jefferson Circuit Court to six months in jail and five years of probation. As part of his probation, Siami is not allowed to drive.

Siami avoided going to trial after he entered a plea agreement March 10, just before it was scheduled to start. As part of the deal, he pleaded guilty to several charges, including manslaughter, assault and OWI. His original charges included murder and two counts of first-degree assault. Those charges were pleaded down as part of the agreement.

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 could 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 told 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 his plea agreement. The court recommended he spend the next 20 years in prison.