NOW WE’RE STILL WAITING FOR AN UPDATE FROM POLICE. AND WHEN WE LEARN MORE, WE’LL UPDATE
YOU ON NEWS. 4 JAX DOT COM. AN
EMOTIONAL DAY IN SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY IS A MAN LEARNS HIS
FATE AFTER A DUI 2 YEARS AGO.
>> THIS IS YOU SERVED. 41.0 1
TO 5 MISTER YEAR CHARGES FEELS
HE IS TIME,
>> SAINT JOHNS COUNTY JUDGE
SENTENCED MICHAEL REIN TO 41
YEARS IN PRISON. HE PLEADED NO
CONTEST TO A DUI CRASH THAT
KILLED A MAN INJURED. HIS
SISTER AND KILLED HER UNBORN
TWINS. IT HAPPENED THE DAY
AFTER CHRISTMAS IN 2020 RAIN
WAS DRUNK THAT NIGHT AS HE
DROVE THE WRONG WAY ON COUNTY
ROAD 207. AND HIT THE VICTIM’S
CAR HEAD ON NEWS. 4 JAX
REPORTER JOE MCLEAN WAS IN THE
COURTROOM AS THIS ALL UNFOLDED
AND HAS THIS REPORT ON THE
EMOTIONAL HEARING.
♪
>> IN FRIDAY’S SENTENCING
HEARING, IT WAS A
CONFRONTATION FOR WHICH RAQUEL
HER HAS WAITED FOR ALMOST 2
YEARS. SPEAKING FACE-TO-FACE
WITH THE MAN WHO ADMITTED TO
CAUSING THE DRUNK DRIVING
CRASH THAT KILLED HER YOUNGER
BROTHER AND HER UNBORN TWIN
GIRLS. A POWERFUL MOMENT OF
OVERWHELMING GRIEF ANGER YET
SOME ABSOLUTION.
>> HURT. YOU KNOW DON’T
♪
>> OUR LOBO WHO HAS LOST THE
ABILITY TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN
DUE TO HER INJURIES FROM THE
2020 CRASH WAS VISIBLY
CRUSHED. AS WE SPOKE TO THE
MAN RESPONSIBLE NOW, 33 RAIN
PLEADED NO CONTEST TO 3 COUNTS
OF VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER AND
OTHER CHARGES ADMITTING TO
DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON STATE
ROUTE 207, WITH DOUBLE THE
LEGAL LIMIT OF ALCOHOL IN HIS
SYSTEM. HIS TRUCK SLAMMED HEAD
ON INTO THE CAR CARRYING HER
LIMBO. HER 2 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
AND HER YOUNGER BROTHER IN THE
COURTROOM. FRIDAY, RAIN
APPEARED BROKEN, SHUTTING
TEARS FOR MOST OF THE
SENTENCING HEARING IN OFFERING
A STATEMENT OF DAY.
>> SAID THE ONES THAT WERE SO
THERE IS VOID THAT LEFT FACING
DECADES IN PRISON. RAIN ALSO
COMMITTED TO SPREADING
AWARENESS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF
DRUNK DRIVING WITH ANY FOR
YEARS. HE HAS LEFT.
>> IN CLOSING ARGUMENTS,
RAINS, ATTORNEY EMPHASIZED THE
REMORSE HE SHOWED AND PLEADED
FOR LENIENCY. PROSECUTORS,
THOUGH, EMPHASIZED THE CHOICE
RAIN MADE TO DRINK AND DRIVE
THAT NIGHT AND POINTED TO THE
LIVES LOST. BUT ALSO THOSE
CHANGED FOREVER, INCLUDING HER
LAMBO’S. YOU CAN TAKE HOUSE.
>> BUT THE YEARS, MICHAEL,
SURE THAT ANY OF THEIR LIVES.
>> WHEN IT CAME TIME TO IMPOSE
A SENTENCE, JUDGE R LEE SMITH
DESCRIBED FRIDAY’S AS PERHAPS
THE MOST EMOTIONAL AND
HEART-WRENCHING HEARING. HE’D
SEEN.
>> AND WAS SENSE I’M JOSE
PRESIDENT. WE’RE NEVER WAS
SAFE. YOU THIS? IS OWN WORDS
FROM
>> THAT’S A CELL TO RAIN WAS
SENTENCED TO 41 YEARS FOR THE
9 TOTAL CHARGES, INCLUDING
DEADLY DUI, VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
AND RECKLESS DRIVING.
>> NOW AT THE END, JUST BEFORE
HANDING DOWN THE SENTENCE. THE
JUDGE DID POINT OUT ONE OF THE
MOST STINGING PARTS ABOUT THIS
CASE. THE FACT THAT IT WAS ALL
AVOIDABLE, HE SAID THIS SHOULD
SERVE AS A DARK REMINDER OF
THE DANGERS AND JUST TO THE
DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS TO
INTOXICATED DRIVING.
>> AND MEANWHILE, A.
>> IT’S THE NOW CONVICTED MAN
NOW HAS A 30 DAYS TO APPEAL