Driver sentenced to 18 months in I-695 crash that killed six construction workers
BALTIMORE -- A driver convicted of manslaughter in a high-speed crash that killed six construction workers on I-695 last year in Baltimore County was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday.
Melachi Brown, 21, pleaded guilty in January to six felony manslaughter counts as part of a plea deal in the crash, which happened on March 22 near I-70 and Security Square Boulevard.
Brown was sentenced to 10 years with all but three months suspended for each count. Each count will be served consecutively for a total of 18 months in prison.
Brown will be on supervised probation for three years after his release from prison. He will not be allowed to drive a car during that time, and was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service.
The Baltimore County judge's sentence is aligned with prosecutors' recommendation in January.
Brown and the second driver involved, Lisa Lea, faced a combined 55 charges. They were both charged with six counts of felony negligent manslaughter by vehicle, six counts of death of a vulnerable person and numerous traffic violations.
Prosecutors said Brown was driving at 121 mph when his car was clipped by Lea, who was attempting to change lanes. Lea's car careened into the work zone and struck the workers.
Prosecutors said Lea was traveling at 108 mph at the time of the crash. She is still set for trial in April.
Maryland State Police identified the six contractual workers who were killed as Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel; Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick; Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick; Mahlon Simmons III, 31, of Union Bridge; Mahlon Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge; and Sybil Lee Dimaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie.
In court Thursday, Prosecutor Felise Kelly said while Brown's car did not strike the workers, his speed and aggressive driving contributed to the crash.
The courtroom was packed with dozens of loved ones of the victims who declined to be interviewed after the sentencing.
Brown spoke in court through tears.
"I wanted to apologize to the families that I have hurt," Brown said. "It was never my purpose in life to tear families apart."
A video obtained by WJZ shows the two cars crashing at a high rate of speed.
Last summer, WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren sat down with Dylan DiMaggio and Nora DiMaggio, the children of Sybil DiMaggio.
They talked about the pain of losing their mother, as well as calling for more precautions for construction workers in work zones.
"Just in an instant, your whole world is overturned, nothing is the same," Nora DiMaggio said. "You don't cope with it, you don't move on. It's just terrible."
As a result of the crash, Gov. Wes Moore created a work group to create safety changes for construction work zones.
The group shared their recommendations in November, which included increasing state troopers in work zones and conducting more on-site inspections.
