Browns receiver Donte Stallworth was charged with DUI manslaughter in a Florida courtroom on Thursday morning stemming from an incident a few months ago in which he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car. If he’s found guilty, he would face a mandatory four-year prison sentence.
The plea was entered at a brief court hearing Thursday by defense attorney Christopher Lyons. The 28-year-old Stallworth did not appear in court. A trial date has not been set.
Stallworth faces up to 15 years if convicted. Police say Stallworth was driving drunk after a night on the town when he struck and killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes on a Miami Beach causeway.
Stallworth is free on $200,000 bail and is required to abstain from alcohol, not drive and observe a curfew.
It’s reported that Stallworth’s defense team will try and argue that the victim was just as much at fault for the accident because he was jaywalking across a busy street. Stallworth has already claimed that tried to flash his lights to warn the pedestrian, but the fact that he was driving while impaired will work against him.
