When Caleb Kennedy auditioned on season 19 of American Idol in 2022, he placed in the Top 5. He was ejected from the show after a dubious video of him and a pal appeared.
Following his departure from Idol, he kept up his musical endeavors. However, in 2022, he killed a guy while driving under the influence, letting his dream of fame slip through his fingers.
The event occurred while the South Carolina native was traveling to his girlfriend’s residence, according to Greenville News. According to warrants and the prosecutor, he used a vape pen while driving and was therefore under the influence of cannabis.
His lawyer contends that at the time of the occurrence, he was experiencing a reaction to a lawfully authorized drug (and “possibly THC”). The outcome was the same in either case. Larry Duane Parris, 54, was struck by Kennedy’s F-150 and died as a result. Kennedy, who was 17 at the time, was taken into custody and accused of DUI.
A judge condemned the former American Idol finalist to 25 years in prison and fined him $25,100 on Monday, November 18. But that sentence has been significantly weakened.
Caleb Kennedy received an eight-year prison sentence (kind of).
Although the family of Larry Duane Parris believed Caleb Kennedy would receive the maximum punishment of 25 years, the court reversed his initial sentencing.
Kennedy will now get a sentence of eight years in jail, a fine of $15,100, five years of probation, and court-mandated counseling for substance addiction and mental health issues. Of the eight-year term, three will be spent under house arrest.
Kennedy will also be given credit for the nearly three years he was imprisoned anticipating his verdict and sentencing. In total, he will be imprisoned for about two years.
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“He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened,” Kennedy’s attorney Ryan Beasley stated. “This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC,” Beasley continued.
The Source: americansongwriter
