A plea deal may have been reached for the 27-year-old Juneau man charged with second-degree murder in connection to a deadly car crash Out The Road in 2011.
Public Defender David Seid, the attorney for defendant Ryan W. West, said Tuesday the parties may have reached a “tentative agreement” and requested a hearing to discuss it. However, Seid requested the current trial date remain on the court’s calendar. West is presently scheduled to go to trial next week, on Monday, Feb. 25.
Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez granted the request for the hearing and scheduled it for 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Seid declined to discuss the details of the agreement after Tuesday’s hearing. District Attorney David Brower also declined to comment.
West, 27, was charged with one count of second-degree murder for his involvement in the June 6, 2011, single vehicle crash that killed Gabriel Carte, 19. The crash occurred near Mile 32 of Glacier Highway.
Prosecutors argue that West was driving at the time of the crash, but West has maintained that he was not.
Police initially said alcohol and speed were factors in the crash, although pretrial litigation indicated West was not legally intoxicated at the time.
West testified at the grand jury that he drank two beers that evening, and a hospital screening blood alcohol test read 71 milligrams per 100 deciliters, or .071 percent, which is lower that the legal limit of 0.08, according to one of Seid’s prior motions. Another blood alcohol test report from the Alaska’s Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory Report showed West’s blood alcohol level as “None Detected,” according to the prior motion.
West has been in custody since his arrest on $500,000 bond. Second-degree murder is an unclassified felony that can carry up to 99 years in prison.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (18)
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It says the Out The Road accident in "2010." It was in 2011.
What's even funnier is that
What's even funnier is that the capitalized "Out The Road"....Lol
A plea deal?! REALLY?!?!
This guy has been a public nuisance, as well as a threat to the safety and well-being of the community for as long as I can remember! For God's sake, he was on FELONY probation when this happened, he wasn't even supposed to be drinking! But, yet again, he's managed to pull the wool over the State's eyes by telling them the same lies he's relied on over the past decade..."I've changed"..."I'm a good person"..."I'll never offend again". I have no faith in the judicial system (and humanity) if scum like him can manage to pull a plea bargain out of this ongoing case. SMH ಠ_ಠ
Also...
.009 away from being legally intoxicated, yet it doesn't count...even though he violated his parole by drinking in the first place?! Really? REALLY?!?
Ugh, I'm disgusted...
Frankly the State needs to throw the book at him so he can finally get it through his THICK skull that he's NOT invincible. He wouldn't be making these kinds of decisions if the courts had given him proper sentencing in previous cases, rather than allowing him to walk on lesser charges or plea deals.
I'm willing to bet, if he's released back into the community, he'll re-offend in less than a year.
Wow really?
First degree murder? Life in prison? Maybe vehicular homicide IF it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he was driving. Until he pleads guilty to a charge or is found guilty at trial, he is innocent until proven guilty! Yes, this was a tragic accident but there is a justice system in place for a reason!
@fairreader
Its "PRESUMED innocent until proven guilty". its a big difference.
yikes
15 court records (2 reopened) and counting.
Whats it gonna take...
For the system to be hard on him and for him to get his life turned around? Is he going to have to kill somebody...... Oh wait he already did! Time's up, no more playing nice!
I dont know the background on
I dont know the background on this case, why is he being charged with 2nd degree murder? Is it because he was on probation and admitted to drinking two beers? Did he leave the scene or something?
Exactly
Presumed innocent until proven guilty. Yes, if he's guilty he deserves a harsh punishment for the tragedy he caused. Charging him with the same crime as serial killers, sexual sadists and other intentional murders is ridiculous. There are many laws he may have broken that he could have been charged with. Intentionally causing the death of another human is not happened in this situation.
Charges
I also don't understand the charge but maybe it is so they have room to do a plea bargain? It sounds like he didnt learn from his previous mistakes! I feel bad for both families involved as his family has to be hurting too.
It will be interesting to see
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If he is sent "up the river" for a long spell it will be to society's benefit. The guy is a bag of fecal matter. However, my hope would be that he gets whatever justice is due him.
Will he ever learn
http://juneauempire.com/stories/052409/loc_443391105.shtml
The State is giving up too easy here!
They obviously don't think they have enough to get the murder 2 charge and will likely let him plead to manslaughter. Most of the distinction between the two lies in whether West intended on killing Gabe or not - an argument not often won in vehicle accidents.
However, it is my opinion that the general public (especially here in Juneau) is educated enough about the risks of driving while impaired, and that because Mr. West had previous run-ins with the law involving alcohol and had been through the system proves by definition that he knew there was a risk of killing Gabe when he drank and then got behind the wheel.
Forget the plea deal Mr. DA - please! Even if it's never been done before, I know you can get this guy for murder 2...it's almost a perfect case to set the president actually.
Average Joe
Joe, I enjoyed your post
but the word you were looking for is "precedent".
agreeing with Joe
People who drive intoxicated knowingly put the entire public at risk of death and they know it. He killed an innocent kid without intention but if he was driving and if he was intoxicated what he did was implied malice which is grounds for murder charges.
Related?
NO they are not related.
Thank You Longtime
Thank you