GILMER - An Upshur County Judge sentenced William Frazier to the maximum 60 years in prison on charges of two counts of intoxication manslaughter with a deadly weapon, and two counts of intoxication assault with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutor Billy Byrd and Defense Attorney Tonda Curry made their closing arguments Wednesday. The courtroom was standing room only as both the defendant and victims’ families showed support.
Curry spoke first, to convince Judge Parish not to give Frazier the maximum sentence. She says he did not make the decision to intentionally inflict those injuries.
“He made the bad decision to get behind the wheel and drive, but he did not intentionally try to cause the accident,” Curry said.
Stressing her point that deciding to drink and drive was wrong, but he never meant to cause the accident. She also used his drug use as one of the reasons he used bad judgment.
Prosecutor Byrd provided quite opposite argument. He says Frazier knowingly got behind the wheel intoxicated and that the chance of death increases significantly.
“Death can flow from that choice, so that was a calculated decision,” Byrd said. “He made a decision when innocent life was out there.”
As Byrd continued his statement, he brought up the 911 audio of the accident scene to reinforce how much sorrow and pain Fraizer caused the girls families.
Judge Parish told the courtroom she will hear from the defendant and victim’s families Thursday morning at 10. Then she will sentence Frazier.