A San Diego man who was previously warned about his alcohol use was convicted Tuesday in the deaths of three passengers in a DUI crash on a highway transition ramp.
William Cady, 26, wiped tears from his eyes as jurors returned a verdict of gross vehicular manslaughter. He was acquitted on charges of second-degree murder.
Taylor Bernardski, 29, Shon Gilliam, 23 and Jeffrey Becker, 35, were killed when Cady’s Cadillac Escalade crashed on Jan. 10, 2014.
The SUV was traveling an estimated 87 to 97 mph on the transition ramp from northbound Interstate 805 to westbound state Route 52 when it lost control.
In her closing argument, the prosecutor told jurors that a judge had warned Cady of his alcohol use three years before the fatal crash.
In 2011, Superior Court Judge Melinda Lasater told Cady, “ You can't afford to have alcohol in your life.”
However, Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said Cady's blood-alcohol content was somewhere between .10 and .18 at the time of the crash.
Cady's choices to drink alcohol, smoke pot and get behind the wheel of his SUV, along with his reckless, aggressive attitude, made for a "deadly combination" that night, Harvey said..
Throughout the trial, defense attorney Rick Layon told jurors Cady was guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI but said his client was not guilty of murder.
Local
Cady’s sentencing was scheduled for July 10.
