Man Convicted In Fatal Rt. 51 Crash Gets 4 1/2 To 9 Years
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A man convicted of killing a local business man while driving drunk will spend four-and-a-half to nine years in prison.
Robert Freund was found guilty in December on charges he killed 60-year-old James Posey while driving drunk on Route 51.
Police say Freund was allegedly intoxicated and speeding when his car crossed a concrete median and crashed into Posey's SUV three days before Christmas 2013. Four others were injured in the crash.
He was sentenced Monday.
Posey's family, including his daughter and her cousins who survived the crash, wore t-shirts with his picture as they left the hearing.
"Facing Christmas, instead of having our celebration, we were actually picking out coffins. DUI driving did not just affect me; it affects every single solitary one of us," said Gaye Posey, the victim's widow.
The widow and her family gave victim impact statements at the hearing.
Freund and his mother also gave statements expressing remorse. Freund saying he not only took a man's life, but destroyed many others lives and that he was sorry.
"He's contrite; he's upset, he's sad, obviously," said Casey White, the defense attorney. "If he could turn back time, he would, and I know he wanted to apologize to the Poseys and to the court for that tragic evening."
For Gaye Posey, though, the issue goes beyond just Freund's decision to drink and drive that night.
"He created a pathway for destruction when he did that. Unfortunately, for me, my husband was in his path," said Posey's widow.
Next on Gaye Posey's agenda: organizing a trip to Harrisburg to lobby legislators next month for National Crime Victim's Week.
Freund was convicted on 14 counts, including homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and multiple DUI counts.
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