Man sentenced in Raleigh crash that killed 76-year-old Wake Forest man
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- Ralph O’Brien, 76, was killed in a Nov. 19, 2023, crash on Capital Boulevard.
- Antonio Carter, 49, pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges in the wreck.
- Carter will spend at least four years and seven months in prison.
A Youngsville man was sentenced to at least four years and seven months in prison Wednesday in a fatal Capital Boulevard crash.
Antonio Carter, 49, pleaded guilty earlier this month to felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle and driving while impaired in the Nov. 19, 2023, crash, court records show.
Carter was behind the wheel of a 2014 Mercedes Benz about 2:30 a.m. in the 9300 block of Capital Boulevard when he failed to slow down, hitting a 2014 Ford Focus driven by 76-year-old Pamela O’Brien of Wake Forest, The News & Observer previously reported. The Focus veered off the roadway, hitting a tree.
The crash killed Ralph O’Brien, 76, Pamela O’Brien’s husband and the front passenger, police said.
Pamela O’Brien and Carter were also injured in the wreck, though their injuries were not life-threatening, The N&O reported.
Carter lost control of his car when he tried to swerve to avoid rear-ending the Focus, according to search warrants in the case. Ralph O’Brien apparently was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, the warrants state.
It’s not clear if the Focus may have been traveling under the speed limit . Carter’s original warrant for misdemeanor death by vehicle notes, “The fact that the speed of a vehicle is lower than the foregoing limits shall not relieve the operator of a vehicle from the duty to decrease speed” to avoid a crash.
The misdemeanor death by vehicle charge was upgraded to felony death by motor vehicle in December 2023 because Carter was impaired at the time of the crash, according to court documents. He was released on $250,000 secured bond and had to undergo continuous monitoring for alcohol and electronic monitoring.
The failure to reduce speed citation was dismissed and Judge Thomas H. Lock suspended judgment on Carter’s driving while impaired conviction as part of the plea arrangement, court documents state.
While on pre-trial release, Carter was cited Sept. 20 for driving while his license was revoked in Wake Forest, according to a citation. A hearing is scheduled for that case next week.
