A Sad Day For Texas
A person drives drunk and crashes, killing their passenger. In Texas, this is called Intoxication Manslaughter. Elizabeth Shelton committed that exact crime by ingesting alcohol to reach a blood level of 0.26 percent, getting behind the wheel of a large vehicle and killing Matthew McNiece.
In Texas, intoxication manslaughter is a second degree felony. A second degree felony carries a punishment of a minimum of two years and a maximum of twenty years of imprisonment with a possible fine up to $10,000. Elizabeth Shelton was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter and was sentenced to four months in county jail, eight years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.
They only got one part of the punishment correct. There is always an outrage when some tragedy occurs that gets huge media attention. The response to the outrage is usually a demand for stiffer laws and more legislation. There is no need for stiffer laws or more legislation when the laws already on the books aren’t followed. Another classic example of when someone is convicted of the crime they have committed , but aren’t given the sentence they deserve.
We need to send a message to people who break the law and flagrantly commit crimes that if you do the crime, you will do the time. The way the justice system is working today, we aren’t sending that message. The message is being received loud and clear that criminals are not held accountable for their actions. If we continue to send this message, then we can expect for people to continue to commit crimes and not expect for them to be held accountable. A sad day for Texas indeed.
