OCEOLA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A judge closed the book Friday on a drunken-driving crash in Oceola Township that took five lives.
People lined up to tell Matthew Carrier, 23, of Fenton, how much damage he did when he plowed into a car while drunk behind the wheel.
The crash happened when Carrier blew through a stop sign in May 2017 at M-59 and Argentine Road, according to police.
Carrier pleaded no contest in the case, which included a count of second-degree murder.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Five people killed in crash in Oceola Township
Three of the five people killed in the crash were returning from a job celebration for Candice Dunn, who worked at the Department of Corrections. She had just been awarded the Probation Agent of the Year Award hours before she was killed.
Dunn, 35, her mother, Linda K. Hurley, 69, of Macomb County, and her mother's boyfriend, Jerome Joseph Tortomasi, 73, of Macomb County were among the five people killed.
Justin Andrew-Humberto Henderson, 20, of Fenton, and, Preston Taylor Wetzel, 24, of Fenton, were in another car. They were both killed in the crash.
Carrier looked on as family members and friends expressed the pain of how their lives were changed by his actions.
He was charged with 19 different counts, including the second-degree murder charge, operating while intoxicated charges and a driving on suspended license charge.
Carrier was sentenced to 32-60 years in prison.