PORTLAND — A despondent man who was swiftly weaving through rush-hour traffic with a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for killing another driver.
The defense attorney for Joshua “Ga-lo” Vann, 26, said initial reports that Vann had wanted to kill himself and purposely sped into another car were not true. Defense attorney Chris Howard said statements made by Vann immediately after the accident were taken out of context and made when he was extremely drunk and loathing himself for what he’d done.
Vann told the family of Dale Edward McConachie, 55, that he’s “happy” to serve every day of 10 years because he deserves it. Vann agreed to plead guilty to all of the crimes he was charged with — including first-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence of intoxicants — and accept the full sentence that the prosecution had sought.
Investigators say that on the day of the crash, Feb. 25, Vann had been depressed that his fianc?e had broken off their engagement. He also was upset because his job at a local hospital came to an end when grant money dried up, and he’d been living off of unemployment.
Vann spent the hours before the crash downing so much beer or wine that authorities later recorded his blood alcohol level at 0.31 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
Shortly before 5 p.m., Vann drove fast and swerved as he passed cars when the 2002 Toyota Prius he was driving struck McConachie’s 1998 Pontiac Grand Am from behind, propelling it into a concrete wall at Northeast 33rd Avenue and Columbia Avenue. McConachie, who was driving home to Tigard from work, died at the scene.
“The victim did absolutely nothing wrong,” said deputy district attorney Nicole Jergovic. “There’s nothing he could have done to avoid the collision with the defendant.”
Vann staggered from the Prius, which he had borrowed. He wasn’t supposed to be driving because his license had been suspended after a previous DUII arrest.
Geraldine McConachie told Vann that she and her husband had been married for 33 years, and that Dale McConachie was the love of her life. She said she now suffers daily panic attacks.
“You chose to drink and you chose to drive, and therefore you chose to kill my husband that day,” Geraldine McConachie said.
The couple’s two adult daughters also spoke about the great sadness of not being able to make new memories with their dad, and the pain they feel of hearing their mother call out for their dad while she’s sleeping. Vann had turned his chair to listen to McConachie’s family. He nodded as they spoke.
Then he spoke, at length.
“Your anger, your sadness, I made that happen,” Vann said. “I’m truly sorry.”
“This is a great day for me,” Vann continued, “because I’ve waited to take responsibility for my actions.”
